Volvo's EX90 electric crossover will offer an "invisible shield of safety" with a novel placement of lidar, the remote sensing technology that uses laser light pulses to render precise images of the environment around the vehicle.
While automakers typically embed safety sensors in the grille or front fascia, Volvo positioned the lidar unit on the EX90's roofline. For good reason.
Volvo Cars exterior design boss T. Jon Mayer describes the unit as the eyes of the vehicle, and placing it in the grille would be like having "eyes on your knees," limiting vision to the vehicle directly in front.
"If you put it up high, you can see above that car and beyond," Mayer said.