Volvo EX90 to get 800 V upgrade, matching ES90’s advanced tech

Volvo’s flagship electric SUV, the EX90, is set for a significant technological upgrade. The carmaker is preparing to transition to an 800-volt electrical architecture, which will significantly improve the vehicle’s charging speed, bringing it in line with Volvo’s latest electric model, the ES90.

The EX90, which only recently began reaching customers in key markets after an uncomfortably long software-plagued delay, currently operates on a 400 V battery system.

Such an architecture has been a standard for years but falls behind the 800 V setups in more recent and premium cars like the Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 9, and Lucid Gravity. 

Disappointment for early customers? 

Annoyingly, one of the significant advantages of the all-new Volvo ES90, which shares the same SPA2 platform as the EX90, is that it already benefits from 800 V technology. The SUV makes up for the inequality, but early customers shouldn’t feel displeased as the change is not imminent.

Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan confirmed the move while speaking to British car magazine AutoExpress: “We started with 400 volts on the SPA2 architecture, and then we wanted to upgrade that – partly because of range and faster charging speeds. Now we can put about 300 kilometers (186 miles) of range on in ten minutes.”

Rowan further explained that the shift to 800 V is a strategic decision influenced by advancements in China’s EV market, where most new models adopt higher-voltage systems.

“If you look at China and the Chinese competitors, nearly all the new models coming out are 800 volts and above,” Rowan noted. “And because many of the electronic components are done [in China], the price is decreasing.”

A ten-minute gain 

The upgrade will occur during an upcoming model-year revision, though Rowan emphasized that it won’t happen immediately. “It’s a pretty new car, so it’s not yet,” he stated.

Given that the EX90 has only just begun deliveries in markets such as the UK, the 800 V enhancement will likely arrive as part of the SUV’s mid-cycle refresh within the next three to four years.

Currently, the 400V EX90 can charge at up to 250 kW from a DC fast charger, enabling a 10-80% top-up in approximately 30 minutes. Once upgraded to 800V, the SUV could see peak charging speeds of around 350 kW, reducing charge times by up to 10 minutes.

Using the ES90’s charging curve as a reference, the EX90’s 10-80% charge time could shrink to just 20 minutes, significantly improving real-world usability for long-distance drivers.

Hardware improvement

One question remains whether Volvo will retain the EX90’s current 111-kWh battery pack or transition to the 106-kWh pack used in the ES90. Given the two vehicles’ shared platform, such a swap would be feasible, though it could result in a marginal decrease in total driving range. However, with significantly faster charging times, the minor difference in battery capacity is unlikely to impact customer experience.

Alongside the battery architecture upgrade, Volvo is set to roll out a hardware improvement for the EX90, retrofitting it with the Nvidia Drive AGC Orin platform, which currently powers the ES90. Unlike the 800V switch, this upgrade will be available to existing EX90 owners at no additional cost.