Volvo EM90 - homely luxury van for the Chinese
Making yourself comfortable in a reclining seat or working on the road: Many Chinese like to be chauffeured - and more and more often in luxury vans like the new Volvo EM90. The Swedes call it their "living room on wheels". The price is, of course, hefty.
A completely new type of vehicle has recently appeared on the streets of Chinese cities: luxury vans. Models such as the Lexus LM, Denzo D9 or Zeekr 009 with comfortable reclining seats and the latest communication technology are designed to sweeten the time spent in traffic jams for well-heeled business people. Because the best seats here are not in the front, but in row two.
Those who used to be chauffeured around in a limousine, preferably with an extended wheelbase, are now switching to a large van in the format of a VW Multivan or Mercedes V-Class. And at the weekend, the van serves as a luxury shuttle for the family. However, while the European minibuses are generally derived from vans and hardly deny their commercial vehicle origins, the new Asian models were designed as luxury freighters from the outset.
The latest representative is the all-electric Volvo EM90, which the Swedes call their "living room on wheels". It was specially developed for the Chinese market and is only sold there. Given the model name EM90, one might assume a technical similarity to the large electric SUV EX90, which is also available in Germany. However, instead of the Volvo platform, the EM90 uses a completely new basis, which parent company Geely uses in the Zeekr 009 luxury van and the Lotus Eletre electric sports SUV, among others.
Proud price
The EM90 costs 105,000 euros, a proud price for a car made in China, even in the Middle Kingdom. But it also makes quite an impression. Visually, the EM90 is a mighty beast: 5.20 meters long and over 2.30 meters wide, with a massive, backlit radiator grille. And to let you know what's coming, the large Volvo logo shines brightly.
The flexible interior of the six-seater is dominated by two leather armchairs that could have come straight out of the first class of an airplane. At the touch of a button, the two thickly upholstered center seats buzz back and forth, and those who snuggle up in the soft, quilted leather can adjust their comfortable sitting or reclining position via switches in the armrest. To create space for the leg rest on the right-hand seat, the front passenger seat is automatically moved forward.
Of course, seat heating and ventilation as well as various massage programs are also included. And just like in an airplane, there are small folding pockets in the backrests.
If you want to relax after a stressful day at work, you can extend the large screen from the headliner. The entertainment system is linked to various streaming services. Like most vehicle functions, it can be controlled by voice. If there is nothing suitable on Netflix & Co, you can watch the news on TV or listen to music via the 21 Bowers & Wilkins speakers. Or you can use the time in the car to work. You can take part in meetings using the integrated camera and a connected laptop or smartphone. Suitable USB and HDMI connections are also available.
Touch switches in the sliding doors darken the huge glass roof or, rather unusually for vans, open the electric windows of the sliding doors. As a gimmick, the engineers have installed a small, round touchscreen in the door. It normally displays the time. If you swipe downwards, the various settings for the air conditioning system pop up. Is there a draught? One click and the ventilation fans run in reverse.
738 kilometers on a single charge? More likely around 500
As usual, the battery is located in the floor of the vehicle. No step, no center tunnel disturbs the interior. The floor extends flat all the way to the rear seats. If the center seats move forward, the two seats at the very rear are also easy to reach. In view of the 3.25 tons that the EM90 weighs fully loaded, it is not overpowered with 200 kW/272 kW. Volvo quotes 8.3 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h, with a top speed of 180 km/h. On the other hand, everyone is equally fast in traffic jams and in China you are only allowed to drive at a maximum speed of 120 km/h anyway. What's more, the defensive use of the electric pedal gives you more range. The EM90 should be able to cover 738 kilometers on a single charge. However, this is calculated according to the Chinese consumption cycle. Realistically, however, a good 500 kilometers should be achievable.
The Volvo is charged via two separate connections. At the fast charger, it fills the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just under half an hour via the connection at the rear left. The cable from the wallbox at home is plugged in at the front left, where it only draws single-phase power at 7.4 kW. This is sufficient for China, as almost all public charging stations work with direct current. This means the battery is quickly charged on the road. And if necessary, the battery can also be used as a power source, for example for an e-bike or another electric car.
Source: www.ntv.de
