Volvo Cars has postponed the launch of its all-electric flagship SUV – the EX90 – by five to six months, meaning it will not arrive until mid-2024. Apparently, the company encountered issues integrating a LiDAR into its electronic assist package.
The corresponding statement was made by Volvo CEO Jim Rowan at a conference dedicated to the financial results of H1 2023. InsideEVs was able to get a comment from the company, which specified that the issue was not related to hardware – rather, the software was not ready.
The Swedish automaker is developing its own software solutions for cars, but relies on a third-party vendor, Luminar Technologies, for some of the components needed for the LiDAR to function properly. Luminar Technologies, which specializes in autonomous vehicle sensing solutions, officially teamed up with Volvo and Polestar a few years ago.
However, it has now surfaced that the companies did not do enough to ensure compatibility between Volvo’s own software essential for all vehicles running on the SPA2 platform and Luminar’s proprietary products.
Rowan admitted that the delay of the EX90 would be the most significant since the launch of the XC40. He stayed optimistic, though, saying that the extra time would allow the developer team to ensure adequate recognition of pedestrians on the road from as far as 250 m (820 ft), even when driving fast.