New ES90 sedan starts software-defined era at Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars will officially launch the ES90, the sedan counterpart to the EX90 SUV, on March 5th. The new sedan is software-defined and based on the so-called Superset tech stack, a single set of hardware and software modules underpinning all future electric Volvo cars.

The ES90 is designed to evolve and improve continuously through core computing technology, constant connectivity, and data. It is the first Volvo car equipped with a dual Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin configuration, making it the most powerful car Volvo has ever created in terms of core computing capacity. This allows the Swedish/Chinese car manufacturer “to raise the bar on safety and overall performance through data, software, and AI.”

Core Intelligence

DRIVE AGX Orin is Nvidia’s core computer for intelligent cars. It 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, state-of-the-art active safety features, car sensors, and efficient battery management,” claims Volvo.

The primary core computer provides an eightfold improvement in AI compute performance compared with DRIVE AGX Xavier (installed on the EX90), enabling Volvo to gradually increase the size of its deep learning model and neural network from 40 million to 200 million parameters.

“This will happen over time as we collect more data and continue to develop the model, aiming to improve customer experience and, most importantly, safety levels. The EX90 and its brother model, the Polestar 3, had a delayed launch last year because of software glitches. Apparently, Volvo has overcome them now.

Software-defined

Volvo has yet to provide any other technical details about the ES90. The teaser photographs already released reveal a sleek, coupe-style design that promises serious interior space. It is built on Volvo’s SPA2 architecture and is the second car based on the Volvo Cars Superset tech stack, following the EX90.

The Superset tech stack consists of one single set of hardware and software modules and systems that will underpin all Volvo’s upcoming electric cars. With the Superset tech stack, improvements can be made more efficiently and rolled out even faster via over-the-air updates and across all models based on the Superset.

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

The aim is to simultaneously boost each car’s performance in the lineup so that ES90 customers benefit from EX90 software upgrades and vice versa. That means software now replaces hardware as the primary driver of innovation and value creation.

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

Safe Space Technology

Volvo claims that the ES90 combines an exceptional understanding of its surroundings through an advanced array of sensors, including one lidar, five radars, eight cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors, with an advanced driver-understanding system inside the car.

“These safety systems are designed to help keep its passengers safe by detecting obstacles, even in darkness, and activating proactive safety measures, such as collision avoidance. It’s what we call our Safe Space Technology: everything we put in a car is meant to build a safe space for everyone in and around the car, and technology helps us make that happen,” says the press release.

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

Also for existing customers

The dual Nvidia DRIVE AGX Orin configuration will also be implemented on EX90 cars, upgrading its current version and aligning with the continuous improvement philosophy.

“This is a tangible example of how our Superset tech stack approach allows us to upgrade the hardware of our cars as new technologies become available. Existing customers of the EX90 will get an upgrade of their cars free of charge,” Volvo concludes.