Volvo has revealed more details about its upcoming ES90 electric sedan just a week out from its unveiling, with the battery-powered model boasting range anxiety-beating figures.
The Volvo ES90, due to debut on March 5, will have a claimed driving range of 700km on the WLTP lab test cycle, far more than the 570km figure of the EX90 electric SUV flagship.
It’s tipped to be a competitor to the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE – which offer up to 627km and 626km of range, respectively – due to the petrol-powered S90’s closeness in size to the 5 Series and E-Class.
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According to Volvo, the ES90 will its first EV underpinned by an 800-volt architecture.
This is despite the ES90 being based on the same SPA2 platform as the EX90, which features a 400-volt architecture.
Higher charging rates are a clear benefit of the increased voltage, with Volvo claiming the ES90 can be DC fast-charged at up to 350kW, allowing its battery to gain 300km of range in just 10 minutes.
Volvo additionally claims ES90s equipped with a 106kWh battery (net capacity) can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes, based on the 350kW charge rate.
For context, the EX90’s 111kWh (gross capacity) lithium-ion with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry battery can be charged at up to 250kW.
Volvo claims the 800-volt architecture has resulted in undisclosed weight savings for the ES90 compared to its existing EVs, as it can use lighter electric motors and other components.
The ES90 is also a key model towards Volvo’s sustainability goals, with Volvo reporting 29 per cent of all aluminium and 18 per cent of all steel used in the electric sedan is recycled, while it also contains 16 per cent recycled polymers and bio-based materials.
In addition to this, the ES90 will be sold with a “battery passport”, a requirement in Europe from early 2027. The passport tracks raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite, and details the CO2 footprint of an EV’s battery.
Previously leaked documentation in China revealed the ES90 will measure 4990mm long, 1945mm wide and 1547mm tall on a 3102mm wheelbase.
The ES90 will reportedly be offered in either single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations.
It’ll join a growing lineup of Volvo EVs, which will include the upcoming EX60 (an electric counterpart to the XC60), as well as two models on the newer SPA3 platform.
Volvo’s current global EV range includes the EX30, the EX40 (formerly known as the XC40 Recharge), the EX90, and the China-only EM90 people mover.
Despite announcing in March 2021 that it would only sell EVs globally by 2030, Volvo walked back this target to 90-100 per cent electrified vehicle sales by 2030 – with the new figure including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
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