Product Test – More driving, fewer hot dogs, Volvo's 800V ES90
- Matthias Schmidt
- 39 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars' charismatic CEO, has a problem with his 800V electric architectures... hot dogs!
Roughly four years ago, during his previous tenure leading the Geely majority-owned Swedish company, he told a quarterly investor call that he had been eating too many hot dogs, ubiquitous at every Swedish fuel station, because the charging infrastructure was simply too slow to recharge the fleet of BEVs he was driving.
Four years later, all of that has changed.
On a 3,000 km round route from Northern Germany to deepest Tuscany in the SPA2, software-defined vehicle-based ES90, I barely had time to pop to the toilet, drink a coffee – Almdudler, or Lemon Soda – before it was time to move the 5-meter-long motorway muncher in order to prevent it from blocking others from charging.
Charging etiquette is not to be laughed at, I discovered.
Capable of peak 300kW+ charging speeds, which is becoming a standard in the premium end of the market, or a curve closer to an average of 250kW charging to 70%-80%, results in stops of barely 20 minutes.
Others waiting, which was the case on two occasions, and with a basic knowledge of 800-volt vehicle architectures, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the ES90 taking a refreshment break, given they knew it would barely be longer than football players taking their now infamous "hydration/commercial breaks" during this year's football World Cup.
Returning to the autobahn, or autostrada, wasn't a pain; it was a gain, with pilot-assist (ACC cruise control) engaged, seat slightly reclined, and the massage and air seat cooler activated.Â
The cramp I often suffer from in BEVs, thanks to no footwell and a flat floor being sold to consumers as a win, rather than a finger to standard ergonomics, was solved by letting the car do the driving and me, not quite putting my feet up, but allowing them to rest in a more comfortable position.Â
It was just left to enjoy some Philip Glass through the outstanding sound system, with the church steeples of South Tyrol peeking out behind the motorway.
Niggles were present, however, with the lack of Volvo DNA in the interior: the knobs and switches were all but gone, replaced by a universal touchscreen, which resulted in some unhappy beeps from the car instructing me to take my eyes back on the road as I struggled with finding the correct sub-menus.Â
Tesla and the Chinese can carry this off more easily as they have no heritage to protect, but I would urge incumbents to please keep some visual and tactile touch button heritage.
However, less of a problem, perhaps: Mr Sammulson will now no longer have time to consume quite as many hot dogs, espressi or other local treats as the car recharges at turbo speed.Â
Cost of the journey €260 + €12 (one-month's charge point operator membership, a must for long journeys).Â
Includes €36, using two charges at a destination charger.Â
That is significantly less than an ICE in the same sector on the equivalent journey, or leaves enough to add a significant amount of oil to the electric car for the return journey, albeit made from olives and stored in the car's luggage compartment rather than consumed by the vehicle.
Average motorway speed was 120 km/h, resulting in a total average economy of 17kWh per 100 km from the 92 kWh (88kWh usable) battery, or, in layman's terms, an average motorway range of over 500 km.
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Scope: Western Europe's 18 Markets: EU Member States prior to the 2004 enlargement, plus EFTA markets Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, plus UK – accounting for 90% of the enlarged European region.