There are two reasons to be excited. First of all, the 2022 Volvo XC90 is on the way with a fresh redesign. Plus, it will be much safer with the addition of LiDAR technology. The Volvo XC90 will be incredibly smarter and could provide more savings. 

The 2022 Volvo XC90 gains LiDAR 

According to Motor1, the electric 2022 Volvo XC90 will debut with state-of-the-art sensors and LiDAR technology. It could also continue with the Recharge name like its fellow all-electric models known as the C40 and XC40 Recharge. 

But what exactly is LiDAR? LiDAR is safety and convenience tech. It stands for light detection and ranging. Volvo collaborated with Luminar to develop this technology to make self-driving safer. 

Volvo handles the hardware while Zenseact and Luminar take the lead on the software. NVIDIA is involved in developing the autonomous driving computer. The NVIDIA Drive Orine system-on-a chip comes standard. 

This new safety package for the Electric XC90 should reduce fatalities and accidents. It will improve Volvo’s established collision avoidance technology as a benchmark in vehicle safety. The system will become enhanced over time with over-the-air updates to help the vehicle learn and prevent more collisions to help save lives. This may create lower insurance costs as accidents with Volvo vehicles are expected to decrease.

How does LiDAR work? 

In the 2022 Volvo XC90, LiDAR will work similar to radar, but it uses light waves instead of radio waves to detect objects. This is a crucial aspect of self-driving cars. Most prototypes currently being tested use LiDAR as part of a system with sensors, radar, and cameras. 

The NVIDIA chip will process information from LiDAR and other sensors. The XC90 will also receive backups for key functions such as steering and braking, making it hardware ready for safe, unsupervised autonomous driving when it becomes available. 

The hardware and software are developed in-house to enable a new feature called Highway Pilot. It will allow for autonomous driving on highways. It can only be activated when verified safe and legally allowed for individual geographic locations and conditions. 

What else do we know about the XC90? 

The 2022 Volvo XC90 will ride on Volvo’s new SPA2 architecture. It replaces the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that underpins the current-generation XC90. It uses central floors for electric vehicles instead of gas-powered options. 

It will have a new battery pack with an energy storage capacity of over 100 kWh that consists of over 30 cell modules. It will be paired with two motors that generate over 197 hp and 500 to 664 LB-ft of torque. It should provide a sports car acceleration but will have its top speed limited to 112 mph. 

This ride is going all-electric with a facelift and thigh quality interior materials to serve as an incredibly luxurious three-row crossover. It’s expected to have an improved ride with enhanced tech. 

The XC90 should arrive in 2022, and we will have to wait and learn more. It may start around $50,000, but going totally electric and its new standard safety tech could make it more expensive.