Volvo Offers Complimentary Hardware Upgrade for Early EX90 Customers
Customers who purchased early versions of the new Volvo EX90 will soon be offered a complimentary hardware upgrade to enhance the car’s computing power. The upgrade will involve installing the more powerful computing system from the new ES90, which features two Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processors.
The decision to offer this upgrade comes after Volvo identified that the EX90 initially came with a single Orin processor and an older Nvidia Xavier chip. By retrofitting the dual Orin system, the computing power of the EX90 will be increased eightfold. Plans for the rollout of this upgrade are still being finalized, but the first EX90s have already been delivered to UK customers.
Both Volvo and Polestar, which shares the SPA2 underpinnings with the EX90, will be implementing similar upgrades. Engineering boss Anders Bell highlighted the unique opportunity to perform a hardware update on early models, allowing for more efficient software updates across different models. Volvo software boss Alwin Bakkenes explained that this upgrade will unlock more features for early EX90 owners and streamline software updates across the brand’s lineup.
One of the key benefits of the hardware shift will be the enhanced capability of the lidar sensor, which will now be able to detect and avoid pedestrians and cyclists on the side of the road in dark conditions. This improvement is expected to significantly improve road safety and potentially save lives.
While the computing system of early EX90s will be upgraded, the electronic architecture will remain at 400V, unlike the ES90 which features an 800V system. New-build EX90s will eventually transition to the 800V architecture, with the exact timing likely to coincide with a model-year change as confirmed by CEO Jim Rowan.
