Volvo has revealed its new all electric flagship – the EX90. The seven-seat SUV replaces the brand’s big-selling XC90 which is now in its 20th year of production. 

The new Volvo EX90 will be one of only a handful of seven-seater pure electric cars available in the UK when it goes on sale in early 2024. The all-new model shares much of its hardware with the new Polestar 3 and will initially only be available as a twin-motor all-wheel drive version powered by a 111kWh battery and two electric motors together delivering 517 hp and 910 Nm of torque. It will have a sturdy £96,200 price tag, rising to over £100,000 for the Performance version - although cheaper models will follow and the entry level model will cost around £75,000.

It is said to deliver up to 373 miles of driving range on a single charge, according to the WLTP test cycle. Volvo claim it can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes with a peak charging rate of 250kW. 

The EX90 will also support Plug and Charge. Once available, this means you can simply plug your car into a public charger that supports this technology and it will start charging automatically, with payment billed straight to your account – just as currently happens with Tesla cars on the Supercharger network.

The EX90 has clear stylistic links to the XC40 and Polestar ranges

Once charged, you will also be able to power your home from your EX90 using V2L and V2H systems. Volvo will offer a bi-directional wall box and an energy management system that monitors and optimises your household’s energy consumption to make the most of renewables and low-cost energy. It will also allow you to power electric appliances when away from home. 

As you’d expect from a Volvo, the standard safety is exceptionally high. The EX90 has a ‘shield of safety’ enabled by cameras, radars and lidar connected to the car’s high-performance core computers. It can see small objects hundreds of metres ahead, creating more time to inform, act and avoid. 

Inside, sensors and cameras gauge the driver’s eye gaze concentration to warn when they might be distracted, drowsy or otherwise inattentive. It will then alert you, first softly nudging, then more insistent. And if you fall asleep or are taken ill while driving, the EX90 is designed to safely stop and call for help.

The car will monitor the driver's eyes to check if they are being distracted or have fallen asleep

The displays use a tool called Unreal Engine, a 3D system developed by a company called Epic Games to power some of the world’s biggest video games. This is said to give high-quality graphics on the in-car screens and head-up display. 

As with Polestar, the 15-inch centre screen has Google built in to give faster mapping and smart search functionality. 

The Volvo will also come with phone key technology as standard – although it’s not clear if this will be offered in the UK at launch. Your smartphone serves as the car key and automatically unlocks the car and starts a personal welcoming sequence as you approach. Your personal profile will also be loaded automatically as you enter the car. 

To try and offset the environmental impact of the massive EX90 and its 111kW battery - that's the same as three MINI Electrics - the Volvo contains approximately 15 per cent of recycled steel, 25 per cent of recycled aluminium as well as 48kg of recycled plastics and bio-based materials, which corresponds to around 15 per cent of the total plastic used in the car – the highest level of any Volvo car to date. 

It will be built in the USA starting next year and later also in China.

The EX90 will be built in the US and China