Volvo connected cars and trucks to share road safety data

Vehicles will alert each other to dangerous driving conditions. Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks have unveiled a joint cloud-based Connected Safety service that enables connected vehicles to warn each other automatically about dangerous road conditions. The partnership will see live, anonymised data shared between Volvo trucks sold in Sweden and Norway, and Volvo cars equipped with the Hazard Light Alert system. Hazard Light Alert has been available in Sweden and Norway since 2016, where it is standard on all 90 and 60 series cars, as well as the XC40. Adding selected models of Volvo Trucks’ fleet to the cloud will cover more areas, identify more potential hazards, and boost overall traffic safety. The two companies operate independently of one another, and this is first instance of Volvo Cars sharing safety-related data with another company – a step towards achieving a critical mass of connected vehicles that could have a significant impact on traffic safety. Both brands represent a considerable portion of new vehicle registrations in the region.

Collaboration to improve safety

“Expanded cooperation between different players is one of the most important keys to improved road safety,” said Carl Johan Almqvist, traffic and product safety director at Volvo Trucks. “If more vehicles are able to exchange real-time information about the traffic situation, it will lower the risk of accidents. With Connected Safety we are opening the door to the future, with the hope that more vehicle manufacturers will join in.” He added that a vehicle standing still by the roadside in poor visibility risks being hit from the rear, which can have severe consequences. “An alert issued well in advance gives all drivers of nearby cars and trucks the same opportunity to reduce speed, adjust their driving to the traffic situation, and avoid a collision,” he explained. Malin Ekholm, vice president of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said that sharing real-time safety data based on his company’s connected safety technology can help avoid accidents. “The more vehicles we have sharing safety data in real time, the safer our roads become. We look forward to establishing further collaborations with other partners who share our commitment to traffic safety,” he said.

Internet of Business says

2018 has seen increasing numbers of vehicle and technology companies coming together to share data and work towards new technology standards – evidence that, as the Internet of Things spreads and connected services become the norm, more and more companies will become collaborators with shared aims, rather than competitors.

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Author – Rene Millman Courtesy of Internet of Business