Volvo’s latest family car with NVIDIA chips enters US showrooms – AI features run 250 trillion operations each second

VOLVO has launched a full-size, family-oriented SUV with room for seven passengers and ultra-capable microchips.

The EX90 is the company’s attempt to lure future-oriented drivers with safety-focused AI chips from tech giant NVIDIA.

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Volvo launched the three-row EX90 to customers this year.

The SUV features dozens of postage-stamp-sized chips that enable hordes of self-driving tech, according to NVIDIA’s blogs.

Volvo’s latest vehicle drives on NVIDIA’s DRIVE Orin system-on-a-chip tech.

NVIDIA said the system’s current iteration helps with active safety features in the vehicle, including lane-keep assist, road monitoring, and active brake detection.

But the tech safety systems will become more refined as more drivers continue to use the full-size SUV.

The EX90 is gathering road data that NVIDIA will process. The company hopes it will eventually become a fully self-driving car.

Experts believe self-driving cars will cause fewer accidents than human drivers. NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, predicted that every car on American roads would soon deploy the same technology.

The tiny electronic control performs 250 trillion operations per second, according to the blog.

Volvo has built its brand image as a heavily safety-focused company with some of the best crash-tested models in the American market.

BEHIND THE EX90

The SUV is the company’s first vehicle with a dedicated electric platform in the US.

The company has produced two other consumer EVs in the US – the C40 Recharge and the XC40 Recharge.

Both models initially hit the US market as a gas-powered vehicle. Volvo added powertrain-focused batteries under both crossovers.

The Recharge models are almost identical to the gas-powered versions but feature different body panels, especially around the grille.

The EX90 is similar to Volvo’s XC90, but the body’s curvature and molding in the gas and electric options are different.

Electric vehicles vs gas

Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles

EV PROS:

• Convenient (when charging at home)
• Cheaper (depending on state or city)
• Cheaper maintenance, due to lack of mechanical parts
• Great for commuting
• Reduced CO2 emissions
• Federal and state tax incentives
• More performance (speed, handling – depending on the make and model)

EV CONS:

• Higher initial cost
• Higher insurance rates
• More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
• Higher curb weight (thus causing more rapid wear on crucial parts)
• Low resale value
• High depreciation rates
• Lack of charging infrastructure
• Unreliable public charging (related: slow charging times)
• Poor winter and summer performance
• Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
• Range anxiety

GAS PROS:

• Highly developed refueling infrastructure
• Fast refueling
• Cheaper insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
• Established repair industry
• Lower initial cost
• Higher range before refueling, especially with hybrids
• Many manufacturers produce nearly emission-less engines
• Cheaper refueling, depending on the location

GAS CONS:

• Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on petroleum)
• Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
• Higher repair costs
• Higher insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
• Varying costs at the pump, depending on state, city, and county

Source: Car & Driver, Perch Energy, AutoWeek

VOLVO’S EV SHIFT

Earlier in September, Volvo walked back its plans to develop a complete lineup of electric vehicles.

The luxury automaker initially wanted to electrify all of its vehicles by 2030.

But the company reversed course on its EV plans, saying it was going to keep more mild hybrid options while drivers draw out the shift to EVs.

“While Volvo Cars will retain its position as an industry leader in electrification, it has now decided to adjust its electrification ambitions due to changing market conditions and customer demands,” the company said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.

Volvo hopes to build “90 to 100%” all-electric or plug-in hybrid models.

Previously, the company wanted to bring the tiny EX30 EV to market in the US.

However, the car has run into tariff issues since Volvo’s parent company, Geely, builds the vehicles in a Chinese factory.

Before the tariff announcements, the EX30 started selling in the EU and is the third-best-selling electric car in the European market.