Volvo is continuing its drip feed of information on its upcoming fully-electric EX90, which is slated for launch on November 9. After showing off the car’s LiDAR system and driver monitoring cameras, the Swedish carmaker is now giving us a first look at the EV SUV’s dashboard, including its infotainment and instrumentation set-up.
For the former, the Volvo EX90 will utilise a large portrait-oriented centre screen, which gives the drivers quick access to navigation, media, phone connectivity, as well as controls and other common actions. The centre screen also features a special contextual bar that suggests different actions based on the specific situation you’re in, be it driving, parked, or on a phone call.
The instrument cluster meanwhile is now just a slim horizontal screen, which displays more driving-focused information such as directions, current speed and range info. Volvo says that this screen also helps the car “contextualises the change from one mode to another, making sure you know what to expect from the car – and what the car expects from you”.
Notice the repeated mention of “contextual” displays? That’s because Volvo says that clear, contextual information can help reduce distractions and confusion, making it more intuitive and – ultimately – safer to operate the car on the roads.
To that end, every display element on-screen is designed to be clear and concise, with information only displayed when relevant. For example, the displays will show different information and graphics depending on whether you’re in a manual or assisted/autonomous driving mode, or even when transitioning between them, making it clear and intuitive to the driver if you’ll need to take over the controls.
ALSO READ: Upcoming Volvo EX90 EV will come with LiDAR as standard, to be unveiled on 9 November
By combining the car’s exterior and interior sensors with in-house developed software, the Volvo EX90 will be able to quickly read and understand each situation, and provide the driver with contextual information based on that input.
“It’s all about providing you with the right information at the right time,” says Volvo Cars head of UX, Thomas Stovicek. “We want your driving experience to be focused, simple and safe. Since the car also understands its surroundings and you better than ever before, we can create an even safer situation by reducing mode confusion, distraction and information overload.”
Volvo says that the EX90 will be “hardware-ready” for unsupervised autonomous driving, which means that in the future once legislations allow and software sufficiently developed, the car will be able to drive you instead. But even before then, the displays and contextual user interface is already designed to make the transition between the different driving modes as predictable and smooth as possible.
