However, there is a serious issue with the exterior: LIDAR's The hump at the top of the windscreen. Volvo knows this is a problem, and I know this for two reasons. First of all, if you look at the official press images of the car you'll see multiple shots of the EX90 for almost every angle you would expect in profile. I got a profile shot, but the car is so far in the background that the hump is small, no doubt intentional. Upon closer inspection it actually looks like an unlit taxi sign. Second, I asked a Volvo designer at the brand-hosted launch if the team had any problems dealing with the hump as we watched it emerge from the roof, and he reluctantly confirmed that they had.
Still, that lidar boosts the car's already strong safety. The company claims it is the safest Volvo ever, as the sensor array is able to create a complete picture of the world around the car, whether night or day, picking up even small objects hundreds of meters away.
Even though this technology would make the EX90 capable of autonomous highway driving, Volvo is not turning on this capability yet, and Thomas Broberg, senior technical advisor for safety at Volvo, would not say when that would happen. “It's more about what the car shouldn't do rather than what it will do,” Broberg told me. He says Volvo needs more time to test its Level 3 self-driving technology, but then acknowledges that the company has been testing this system, or versions of it, for years. Early next year the EX90 will allow Supervised Driving 2.5, but until then all drivers will be collecting data only for Volvo.
One final important point on the lidar hump. At the launch, I chatted with a representative from Luminar, the company that makes this clunky self-driving component. He told me that the next generation of the technology is half the size and that Luminor is working on fitting it into the windshield instead of letting it sit proudly on top. It sounds much better, and you can expect to see it in cars by 2026 or 2027. Sadly, Volvo won't confirm whether it's going to upgrade the EX90 to this upcoming lump-free lidar. Let's hope.
lux interior
Speaking of radar, the EX90 has one inside too. This is to prevent children or dogs being accidentally left inside, as well as all the driver monitoring and assistance systems you've come to expect from a Volvo. This is a very good thing, because such is the plush nature of the EX90 interior (Nordico “leather” trim is actually made of secondhand plastic and durable pine oil), you won't want to leave unsupervised pets and kids to ruin the optional midstream. -row captain's seats or the cavernous trunk, which includes the very useful “Will this fit?” The illustrated chart, which includes a washing machine, chairs, skis and a fridge, lets you see what stuff can be stuffed into an acre of backyard space.
