The Volvo ES90 Electric Sedan Is Almost Here

After launching several crossovers and a minivan, Volvo's next electric effort keeps the sedan alive. Although the once-traditional body style has largely fallen out of favor in the SUV era, the ol' saloon is still popular in China where parent company Geely calls home. Before it breaks cover in a couple of weeks, the ES90 returns in fresh teasers, accompanied by preliminary details about how much tech the engineers were able to incorporate.

The ES90 is "the most powerful car Volvo ever created," but before you get too excited, the Swedes are strictly talking about the electric sedan's "core computing capacity." Touted as a "software-defined" EV powered by Nvidia, the BMW i5 competitor can perform 508 trillion operations per second (TOPS), so the software should run smoothly. Over-the-air updates will unlock extra range and bring post-purchase improvements to critical areas like performance, safety, and efficiency.

Volvo keeps the technical specifications secret but talks about the ES90's safety features. The purely electric sedan will have 12 ultrasonic sensors, eight cameras, five radars, and one lidar. As expected, the newcomer will use the company's SPA2 architecture, which underpins the EX90. The SPA3 is not that far away, considering it will premiere next year with the EX60 electric crossover.

In December 2023, Swedish publication Teknikens Värld got a hold of an internal Volvo document containing details about the electric sedan. The "V551" is claimed to be 196.4 inches (4990 millimeters) long, 76.5 in (1945 mm) wide, and 60.9 in (1547 mm) tall, along with a generous wheelbase of 122.1 in (3102 mm).

The ES90 will reportedly tip the scales at 5,732 pounds (2,600 kilograms) in the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive flavor. The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version could weigh 5,511 lbs (2,500 kg). Volvo has reportedly engineered the electric sedan with a big 111-kWh battery, which is good for 373 miles (600 kilometers) of range, presumably on China's test cycle. However, take these specs with the proverbial pinch of salt since the numbers haven't been officially confirmed yet.

We will have all the details on March 5, when Volvo plans to unveil the ES90. Global availability is unclear, but we do know Volvo intends to sell the electric sedan outside of China as well. With the company's focus on going purely electric, the new EV could sooner rather than later replace the aging gas-fueled S90.