Volvo EX90 reorients lidar to create 'invisible shield of safety'

Volvo's next-generation EX90 electric crossover will introduce lidar technology that cocoons the vehicle in an "invisible shield of safety."

Lidar is a remote sensing method that uses laser light pulses to render precise images of the environment around the vehicle.

While automakers typically embed safety sensors in the vehicle grille or front fascia, Volvo positioned the lidar unit on the EX90's roofline. For a good reason.

Volvo Cars exterior design boss, T. Jon Mayer, describes the lidar unit as the eyes of the vehicle.

Placing the lidar sensor in the grille would be like having "eyes on your knees," limiting vision to the vehicle directly in front, Mayer said.

"But if you put it up high, you can see above that car and beyond," he said.

Volvo said the EX90's lidar, from Luminar, can detect pedestrians up to 820 feet (250 meters) away, even at highway speeds.

Designers considered integrating the lidar under the windscreen but discovered the windshield rake compromised the sensor's effectiveness.

"We have 100-degree wide vision on the lidar that is always scanning what's in front," Mayer said. "We have to integrate this thing in the optimal position, which is on the roof."

Beyond early detection, the roof mount also protects the sensitive and expensive sensor from damage in a collision or from road debris.

But while positioning the lidar module on the EX90s roofline maximizes performance, the boxy unit also disrupts airflow around the vehicle and creates drag.

A low aerodynamic drag coefficient, or Cd, is critical for EVs to extend their driving range.

Volvo designers developed a low-profile, teardrop-shaped cover for the lidar to reduce drag.

Mayer said the cover rounds off the lidar's edges and tapers toward the rear, so air flows around the sides and over the module.

"It's about getting the air to attach seamlessly to the car as if the lidar wasn't even there," he said. "There is very minimal impact from an aerodynamic standpoint."

The EX90's front design is "inspired by a sailboat's ability to shear through the ocean's slamming waves," Mayer said.

"But it's also rounder overall, which enables the air to flow around the car more efficiently," he noted.

The design tweaks, coupled with flush glazing and door handles, help the seven-seat EX90 achieve a 0.29 coefficient of drag. In comparison, Tesla's three-row Model X Plaid electric crossover has a drag coefficient of 0.24.

The EX90 is Volvo's biggest all-new product launch since the XC40 arrived in 2017.

The crossover, to be revealed on Nov. 9 in Stockholm, Sweden, is at the vanguard of a wave of new models that will transform Volvo into an all-electric brand by 2030.

European deliveries of the EX90 should begin in late 2023 to early 2024.