Volvo EX90 Design Process Is Embla-matic of Electric Vehicle Challenges, Opportunities

After careers devoted to new takes on vehicles with conventional powertrains, designers are preoccupied with creating electric models and that presents a raft of new opportunities as well as challenges. The upcoming 2023 Volvo EX90 all-electric three-row SUV is no exception. The seven-passenger flagship that will be unveiled this month replaces the current Volvo XC90 as Volvo's flagship when it joins the lineup and is assembled on the same line as the XC90. As Volvo continues to tease the EX90 ahead of its global debut on Nov. 9 in Stockholm, we talked to T. Jon Mayer, the head of exterior design, about some of the pros and cons of designing an EV.

Shedding the need for engine bays, transmission tunnels, and front grilles opens a wealth of possibilities, Mayer tells MotorTrend. It's a curse and a pleasure at the same time. The goal was to have the EX90 look like an electric vehicle: it borrows heavily from the Volvo Concept Recharge that is a manifesto for electrification from a design standpoint.

Mayer said they worked to keep the golden ratio of wheelbase to overall height to get the desired proportions. He thinks they nailed it, which might sound easy, but Mercedes struggled out of the gate to create an aerodynamic but elegant look for its first few EQ sedans; the subsequent Mercedes EQ SUVs look better.

Mayer said the project started with three words for the team: confident, sophisticated, and seamless (which is a new directive to improve aerodynamics and increase range for EVs).

Volvo designers strived for a proud but understated confidence in the softer front end. It is supposed to resemble the face of a mammal, with stronger "Thor's Hammer" lights up high, a grille-less nose section, and a lower mouth gap for cooling. We wanted a more humanistic look rather than something cold and lifeless, Mayer says.

The side profile has few lines, but the ones that are there are long, for a simple and graceful elegance. Volvos have a history of boxy shapes, but the need for aerodynamics required a more rounded front end which contributed to its 0.29 co-efficient of drag. It also led to the flush door handles—they pivot out when you approach the car—and seamless sides with flush glazing so that there are no cappings sticking out around the windows at the B- and C-pillar.

The design is also influenced by living in Sweden, where light is extreme: long summer days and winters with no light. "That affects us as designers," he says. To let a lot of light into the cabin, the EX90 has a large glass roof and big side windows for a high glass-to-sheetmetal ratio. The glass roof has the benefit of lowering the roof line without compromising head room because there is no additional layer of steel to provide structure. The glass is tinted to block sunlight to reduce the amount of extra energy needed to cool a sun-soaked vehicle.

Being a Volvo, Mayer had to adhere to minimalist Scandinavian design, but he also had to accommodate engineering's needs for aerodynamics and integrate tech with all its sensors, radar, LiDAR, and cameras for advanced driver-assistance systems.

Integrating the LiDAR, which comes standard, into the roof line was a challenge. The unit from Luminar is quite large: about 18 inches wide but less than 2 inches tall. It needed a glass cover to protect it, a teardrop shape for aerodynamics, and to be mounted high for the best vision. The final unit is a little flatter than the one shown on the Recharge concept.

"We're quite proud of the Lidar on the roof now. We see it as a 21st century automotive safety icon, much like the three-point safety belt was for us in the last century," Mayer says.