Big Volvo EX90 gets huge hardware updates, plus faster charging

The Volvo EX90 has been moved to the company’s new 800-volt electrical architecture, despite having been on sale for less than 18 months. The changes, applicable to the 2026 model-year cars, apparently enable owners to add 155 miles of range in 10 minutes.

The news comes around six months after the then-Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan told us: “We started off with 400 volts on the SPA2 architecture, and then we wanted to upgrade that – partly because of range and faster charging speeds.”

Volvo says the 800-volt technology “delivers more power for faster acceleration, while using energy more efficiently”, although it hasn’t disclosed specifics on performance gains, battery size or additional range – as hinted by Rowan back in March.

“If you look at China and you look at the Chinese competitors, nearly all the new models coming out are 800 volts and above,” he said at the time. “And because a lot of the electronic components are done [in China], the price of the components is coming down.

“As we go forward, we’ll move everything to 800 volts – we’ll upgrade the EX90, and of course, the ES90 starts at 800 [volts], and the EX60 on SPA3 will come out on 800 [volts] as well. That helps us standardise across the platform.”

2026 Volvo EX90 specs

In addition to the electrical hardware changes, the new model year adds the electrochromic panoramic roof first introduced on the ES90. Volvo says the glass panel lets occupants “adjust the glass transparency” apparently helping to “reduce glare or boost privacy at the touch of a button”.

An upgraded dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin-based core computer will also feature, capable of 500 trillion operations per second. Volvo says this enables new connected safety alerts for slippery roads, hazards ahead, and accidents ahead, along with the integration of automatic e-call functionality with Emergency Stop Assist (ESA). 

Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo’s head of global software engineering, told us previously that the new core computer would give the cars “eight times the computing power; we’re going to be able to enhance the performance of the ADAS systems quite dramatically – and we want it to be available to all customers.

Other new features include improved automatic emergency steering functionality in darkness, along with Park Pilot assist for parallel parking. Existing customers can upgrade their cars to the new chip for free, although the work needed requires a visit to a Volvo workshop.

While unconfirmed at this stage, we expect the EX90 to still be offered in Plus and Ultra trims, with a choice of Single Motor, Twin Motor and Twin Motor Performance powertrains – the latter having upwards of 500bhp, as well as almost 400 miles of range. 

Now you can buy a car through our network of top dealers around the UK. Search for the latest deals…