The new Volvo ES90: a big electric car with a small carbon footprint

Our third-party verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) report for the ES90 shows which materials and processes contribute to the car’s carbon footprint over its entire life cycle.

The facts and figures

• 31 tonnes: The total carbon footprint of the ES90 when using a European energy mix to charge the car
• 26 tonnes: The total carbon footprint when using wind energy to charge the ES90.

With a European energy mix, the ES90’s footprint is about

• 50 per cent lower than the S90 mild hybrid variant
• 30 per cent lower than a plug-in hybrid S90.

This means the ES90 has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any Volvo car to date. It also shows that fully electric cars are not just a fantastic customer experience, they’re also better for the climate.

Beyond legislation
With our first fully electric car launch in 2019, we pledged to release LCA reports for our global electric models. We were the first car maker to make this pledge, and we have since done this for our Volvo EX40, EC40, EX30, EX90 and now the ES90. What's good for business is often better for the climate, and we keep pushing the boundaries for more sustainable cars. And to get there, we aim to go beyond legislation.

The reports help customers make informed decisions when choosing their next electric car, and help us address emissions through our entire value chain. For example, the ES90 also comes with our pioneering battery passport, based on blockchain technology that allows us to track several raw materials. The passport tells customers where the lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite used in the battery originate from. For customers, this provides transparency about how we source raw battery materials in a responsible way.

“We want to be a leader in sustainability, because it’s an important part of who we are and our continued success. So we go above and beyond existing legislation and have clear ambitions,” says Vanessa Butani, our head of global sustainability. “We aim to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and electrification is only one step in that direction. The ES90 represents our holistic approach to sustainability. It goes beyond electrification to include the circular economy, climate-neutral manufacturing and responsible business.”

A holistic approach
The LCA reports identify the key contributing materials and processes to the car’s emissions. Focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the reports cover the car’s life cycle, starting with the extraction and refining of raw materials and ending with the car’s end-of-life.

Of course, the ES90 is a fully electric car with zero tailpipe emissions, but it is also designed with a holistic approach towards sustainability. It’s the first Volvo car equipped with our new 800-volt electric system, which improves charging and energy efficiency, thanks to lighter components that reduce the car’s overall weight.

The car’s design also helps with efficiency. The proportions of the ES90 translate into a drag coefficient of 0.25, the lowest in Volvo Cars’ history. Also called a Cd value, this figure illustrates how efficiently a car moves through the air and how much air resistance it generates. The lower the value, the more efficient the car is, resulting in less energy use and a longer driving range.

Recycled materials
The ES90 contains a variety of recycled materials.

• 29 per cent recycled aluminium.
• 18 per cent recycled steel.
• 16 per cent recycled polymers and bio-based materials like real, FSC-certified wood in the cabin.

On the inside, customers can opt for a Nordico upholstery option, made from recycled material like PET bottles and bio-attributed material.

Ready to go
The first customer-bound ES90 will roll off the production line this summer in one of our climate neutral factories. It is available for order now in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, with other markets added later this year and in 2026. For more details, check out our webpage.
Want to know more? Find the full report here.