If you want an electric SUV, crossover, or sedan, you’re spoiled for choices right now. Kia EV6? Rivian R1S? Volvo EX30? All great picks.
But what if you want … a minivan?
To date, there has really only been one electric minivan option — the Volkswagen ID.Buzz — and while that is a pretty cool minivan, it’s not the most practical for everyone. That’s where the new Volvo EM90 comes in.
The Volvo EM90 looks like it could become the electric minivan of choice for those who want something practical and stylish. It boasts that minimalistic Volvo design language, that zippy EV performance, and a massive 450 miles of range. Curious about getting the Volvo EM90 for yourself? Here’s everything you need to know.
Volvo has been refreshing the design of its electric cars over the past few years, to the point where most modern Volvos look sleek, stylish, and modern. The new Volvo EX30 and EX90, for example, are some of the better-looking new cars out there. The Volvo EM90 keeps many of those design cues, with slim segmented headlights along the front and a generally minimalistic look.
Of course, there’s only so much you can do to a minivan to make it look sleek and stylish — but its weaknesses in design are also its strengths in size. The Volvo EM90 is big and boxy, which translates into a ton of room on the inside of the vehicle.
Minivans are all about people-moving, and Volvo has been marketing the EM90 as a so-called living room on wheels. What does that mean? Well, as you would expect from a minivan, there’s plenty of room. The EM90 offers six seats, which are made up of the two front seats, two lounge seats in the second row, and a bench in the third row that provides enough room for two more seats.
Like other modern Volvo vehicles, the EM90 is pretty tech-heavy, too. The minivan offers a large 15.4-inch infotainment screen, coupled with a digital instrument cluster. While Volvo hasn’t confirmed what kinds of software run on the EM90, if it’s anything like other Volvo cars, it will have Android Automotive, and it will support Android Auto and CarPlay.
As mentioned, the Volvo EM90 offers an electric range of a massive 450 miles — however it’s important to take that figure with skepticism. That’s because of the fact that the range rating has been certified by China’s version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — but China’s version is much more optimistic. Generally, a good rule of thumb is that cars usually get an EPA rating of around two thirds of the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CTLC) rating.
Still, that would put the Volvo EM90 at around 300 miles of range, which isn’t bad — but about on par with other electric vehicles out there right now. Volvo hasn’t released the charging speed for the car, however it’s expected to be able to charge in under 30 minutes.
One of the best things about electric cars is the fact that they benefit from immediate power, delivering instant torque. The Volvo EM90 is both heavy and built to prioritize range over performance, but it’s still relatively quick for a vehicle like this. It’ll get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.3 seconds. That doesn’t touch the faster electric cars out there, but does allow you to get up to speed reasonably quickly.
Interested in getting the Volvo EM90 for yourself? Well, we have some bad news — so far, the EM90 is only getting a China release. Volvo’s wording was that the EM90 would be “coming first to China,” suggesting that more markets will follow. But it stopped short of actually announcing those markets, or any timeline for when it might get a wider release.
If you do happen to live in China, we have more bad news: The EM90 is expected to sell for $114,000, which places it closer to the likes of the Mercedes EQS than the humble Toyota Sienna.
The good news is that automakers are clearly working on more electric form factors. Hopefully, that’ll continue — and we’ll get more big electric cars in the near future.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.