Volvo plans to update its electric SUV EX90 with an 800V architecture

The Swedish manufacturer Volvo, currently under the control of Chinese automotive giant Geely, has just taken an important step in the transition to electric mobility with the presentation of its first electric model with an 800V architecture. Its new ES90 electric saloon offers a number of important advantages thanks to this technology, among which a higher supported charging power stands out, among others.

The ES90 will not, however, be the only model from the Swedish manufacturer with an 800V architecture, since, as we have just learned, the company is preparing to soon update its equivalent electric SUV, the EX90, so that customers who opt for the latter can enjoy the same advantages.

In an interview with the media, Jim Rowan, the current head of the Swedish brand, has confirmed this update, also assuring that this improvement will not be accompanied by any change to the vehicle’s exterior design, since this model has been on the market for less than a year.

The truth is that it would make little sense for its new ES90 electric saloon to have this architecture while the EX90 SUV kept the 400V one with which it arrived on the market, considering that they are vehicles of similar price aimed at the same type of customer, regardless of whether the latter prefers a saloon or an SUV.

Less time lost at the charging point

Implementing a new 800V architecture in the EX90 will improve the vehicle’s efficiency and considerably reduce the time needed to complete a charge. With its current 400V architecture, charging power is limited to 250 kW, while with the 800V one this figure can be substantially increased.

In the case of the ES90, Volvo currently promises a maximum supported charging power of 350 kW, which according to the manufacturer allows a charge to be completed in approximately 20 minutes, or 300 km of range to be added in just 10 minutes. By contrast, the EX90 Twin Motor with its 111 kWh battery pack currently needs around 30 minutes to complete a charge.

According to the head of Volvo, this update to the EX90 is absolutely essential for this model to remain competitive in today’s market, since at this selling price customers demand faster charging and greater range, to which this new 800V architecture will also contribute by improving the vehicle’s efficiency.

800V is already practically a standard within its class

Rowan recalled that in the Chinese market practically all electric models in this segment already feature an 800V architecture, so not making this leap would leave the EX90 at a disadvantage against its rivals, at least in China, one of the most important markets for Volvo.

Beyond this new 800V architecture, the EX90 will also receive a major hardware upgrade, incorporating the advanced NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin computing platform, which also equips the ES90. This platform multiplies the current processing capacity by eight. Alwin Bakkenes, global head of software development at Volvo, has also highlighted that this hardware update will not only be available to new customers, but will also be applied free of charge to EX90s already delivered.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverVolvo EX909 versions · from 83,127 €