The new, fully electric ES90 – defined by software and built on technology

Posted 20 February 2025

Volvo is only weeks away from launching its next fully electric model. The all-new Volvo ES90 will be revealed to the world on 5 March 2025

The soon-to-be-revealed Volvo ES90 further exemplifies the company's approach to the software-defined car and is designed to continuously evolve and improve through core computing technology, constant connectivity, and data. In short, it is a car designed for safe and enjoyable journeys every day.

The ES90 is the first Volvo car to be equipped with a dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin configuration, making it the most powerful car the company has ever created in terms of core computing capacity. This allows Volvo to further raise the bar on safety and overall performance through data, software, and AI.

DRIVE AGX Orin is NVIDIA’s core computer for intelligent cars that orchestrates various essential systems and processes inside the car at ultra-fast speeds. With a high level of computational power – around 508 trillion operations per second (also known as TOPS) – it manages functionalities such as AI-based active safety features, car sensors, and efficient battery management.

The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin-powered primary core computer provides an eightfold improvement in AI compute performance compared with DRIVE AGX Xavier, enabling an increase in the size of deep learning models and neural networks from 40 million to 200 million parameters. This will happen over time as more data is collected and the model continues to be developed, with the overall goal of improving customer experience and – most importantly – safety levels.

A truly software-defined car designed to improve with time

The ES90 is built on the SPA2 architecture and is the second car based on the Volvo Cars Superset tech stack, following the EX90. The Superset tech stack consists of a single set of hardware and software modules and systems that underpin all upcoming electric cars.

It represents a radical transformation in how software is developed and used to improve safety, technology, and overall performance throughout the car’s lifecycle. With the Superset tech stack, improvements can be made more efficiently and rolled out even faster via over-the-air updates.

Such updates might include new connectivity features, safety improvements, and other enhancements that can elevate the performance of the car, such as a better battery range for certain driving behaviours. Continuous improvement via regular over-the-air updates now comes as standard on Volvo vehicles.

Since the Superset tech stack underpins all upcoming electric cars, performance can be boosted across the lineup simultaneously, ensuring ES90 customers benefit from EX90 software upgrades and vice versa. This means software now replaces hardware as the primary driver of innovation and value creation for customers.

“The Volvo ES90 is one of the most technically advanced cars on the market today and is designed to be improved further with time,” says Anders Bell, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer at Volvo. “Built on our state-of-the-art Superset tech stack, the ES90 puts safety at the forefront.”

Safe Space Technology designed to protect and care for occupants

The ES90 combines an exceptional understanding of its surroundings through an advanced array of sensors, which includes one lidar, five radars, eight cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors, as well as an advanced driver-understanding system inside the car. These safety systems are designed to detect obstacles, even in darkness, and activate proactive safety measures such as collision avoidance.

This is what Volvo calls Safe Space Technology – every feature included in the car is intended to build a safe space for everyone in and around the vehicle, with technology playing a key role in making that happen. Safe Space Technology is designed to help avoid accidents and hazards on the road, with the aim of making everyday journeys safer and more enjoyable.

“We innovate in all areas of technology to become a leader in software-defined cars, and we’re channelling all our engineering efforts into one direction: making great cars that get even better over time,” says Anders Bell. “By combining the power of core computing and our Superset tech stack, we can now make safer cars more efficiently than ever before.”

For ES90 customers, this translates into a premium Volvo car designed to keep occupants safe and provide quality time with loved ones. Volvo has designed cars that place people first for nearly 100 years. Technology is always used with purpose, equipping cars with the right amount of tech to ensure a comfortable and safe ride. As such, the ES90 is designed to provide mental peace and balance in today’s hectic world.

Future implementation for existing customers

The dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin configuration will also be implemented on EX90 cars, upgrading its current version, which includes DRIVE AGX Orin and DRIVE AGX Xavier, in line with Volvo's philosophy of continuous improvement.

This is a tangible example of how the Superset tech stack approach allows for hardware upgrades as new technologies become available. Existing customers of the EX90 will receive an upgrade for their cars free of charge.

The all-new Volvo ES90 will be revealed to the world on 5 March 2025. Follow the livestream via es90event.volvocars.com.