Turns out there’s an asterisk to the news of Volvo commencing production of the EX90 at its South Carolina plant this month. The automaker sent an e-mail to customers awaiting delivery that certain features won’t be installed on some delivered units, and posted a notice on its customer help site listing the 10 features that could be missing. Four are safety and ADAS features, one of those related to the lidar system, one of Volvo’s primary talking points concerning the EX90. The automaker says the “Lidar first safety scenario” will get an “update that increases the car’s abilities, even in darkness — and emergency steering is primed if needed to avoid a collision.” It sounds like this means there will be some lidar capability, just not the planned breadth.
Four more items deal with the battery and charging. The most unwelcome might be a battery drainage issue while parked, Volvo saying that for the first three days the EX90 is parked without charging it will lose around 3% of battery charge. This is because the core computing system needs to remain on to run the car’s “highly advanced functions” — whatever that means — when the SUV isn’t being used. After 72 hours, the EX90 “will go into a deep sleep mode to conserve battery power.” Why can’t the EX90 enter a deep sleep mode an hour after the car is parked? Because software is hard.
Smart charging and Plug & Charge could also be lacking, those features making charging less costly or more convenient without extra steps needed from the driver. Bi-directional charging won’t come at first, either, so EX90 buyers should hold on to those portable battery banks.
The two final software puzzle pieces are Apple CarPlay, out to lunch for now, and the one we consider most surprising item on the list, a light theme for the driver cluster and infotainment. On delivery, owners should expect a dark theme only on the digital displays.
EX90 deliveries aren’t slated to begin until later this year, though, so the OTA list could shrink (or grow) before then.