Volvo Cars begins production of all-electric EX90 SUV in South Carolina

Volvo Cars chose June 5 – World Environment Day – to commence production of its new electric flagship SUV, the EX90, at its plant outside Charleston, South Carolina. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for the second half of this year. The first customer-bound EX90 that rolled off the Charleston line was a striking model painted in Denim Blue, destined for a customer in the United States later this year.

The EX90 not only expands its portfolio of fully electric cars but also represents a paradigm shift for the company as it is the first Volvo car powered by core computing technology.

“The fully electric Volvo EX90 is the start of a new era for Volvo Cars – a new era for safety, sustainability, and human-centric technology,” said Jim Rowan,  chief executive. “The EX90 is proudly manufactured in the USA and reflects our long-term commitment to our people in South Carolina and the broader US market.”

Born electric and groundbreaking
The EX90 is based on Volvo’s next generation, born-electric EV technology base, with a fully electric range of up to 600km. The EX90 is designed to be the safest Volvo car to date, powered by next-generation passive and active safety technology and software informed by a broad suite of sensors.

The EX90, a seven-seater SUV targeted at families, comes with a powerful core system, is always connected, and can be improved over time through software updates. These updates are delivered by the company’s software engineers, enabled by AI, and informed by real-time data collection.

The Charleston plant in South Carolina is Volvo Cars’ first manufacturing plant in the United States and opened in mid-2018. Today, the Charleston plant produces the EX90 and the S60 sedan, and it has the capacity to build up to 150,000 cars per year.

In recent years, Volvo has made extensive investments in the facility. The body shop and paint shop have been renewed and expanded significantly, while the plant now also has a state-of-the-art battery pack production line.