LAS VEGAS — Volvo‘s upcoming flagship EX90 electric crossover will be the luxury brand’s first model to feature Google HD Maps.
Volvo said Google HD Maps is a comprehensive map that provides detailed and updated road information and is designed for automakers.
The feature will be available on EX90s equipped with Volvo’s Pilot Assist automated driving system, the automaker said at CES on Thursday. Volvo affiliate Polestar will put Google HD Maps in its Polestar 3 crossover.
Google HD Maps will be used in combination with the EX90’s sensors for driving features such as lane-change assistance and Pilot Assist “as well as future autonomous driving functionality,” Volvo said.
The EX90, which made its global debut in November in Sweden, features an “invisible shield of safety” that can help reduce collisions that cause serious injuries or death by up to one-fifth, Volvo has said. Sensors, including eight cameras, five radars and lidar, are connected to the car’s core computers.
Volvo has said lidar and the other sensors will improve the reliability and performance of Pilot Assist.
Road information gathered from Google HD Maps, combined with data from the EX90’s lidar and other sensors, is processed by the vehicle’s core computer system. The EX90’s core computing system is powered by Nvidia’s Xavier and Orin products.
“Implementing Google HD Maps in our upcoming cars will help us offer our drivers a more enjoyable driving experience and in future contribute to the introduction of safe autonomous driving,” Volvo COO Javier Varela said in a statement.
The move to include Google HD Maps is the latest partnership between Volvo and the tech giant.
Volvo first offered Android Auto in its vehicles for the 2017 model year, a company spokesperson said. The 2021 XC40 Recharge crossover was the automaker’s first model to feature the Android Automotive Operating System.
The EX90’s infotainment system runs on a 15-inch center display powered by Google’s Android Automotive Operating System.
The EX90 is built on an all-electric platform and will be the first EV assembled at Volvo’s plant in Ridgeville, S.C. EX90 production will begin in late 2023 and is set to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2024.
Volvo also on Thursday said it will be releasing an over-the-air update that will allow drivers in the U.S. market to issue voice commands through Google Assistant-enabled devices.
The update, available on all Volvo vehicles with Google built in, will allow individuals, through a ‘Hey Google’ command, to check a vehicle’s fuel or battery level or turn on climate control, among other functions.
“The launch of Google Assistant controlled actions is a demonstration of our commitment to providing our customers with a better car every day, adding more convenience and peace of mind,” Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo’s head of software engineering, said in a statement.
