Vehicles that talk to each other

Volvo is taking road safety yet another step further by allowing individual vehicles from two of its business entities – Volvo Trucks and Volvo Cars – to talk to each other… The cloud-based service, called Connected Safety, allows Volvo trucks and Volvo cars to automatically alert each other to hazardous traffic situations.

“Expanded cooperation between different players is one of the most important keys to improved road safety. If more vehicles can 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,” says Carl Johan Almqvist, traffic and product safety director at Volvo Trucks.

Connected Safety was developed to send out alerts to nearby vehicles connected to the service whenever a driver activates the vehicle’s hazard warning lights. The passenger-car version of Connected Safety was launched by Volvo Cars in 2016 and Volvo Trucks is now rolling out its version of the service.

“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,” explains Almqvist.

In the long term, the cloud-based service can be expanded with additional safety-enhancing functions.

“As the technology undergoes further enhancements and more vehicles are linked to the system, real-time information will become an important complement to the various intelligent safety and driver support systems found in our trucks today. Connected Safety marks the start of a new phase in our ongoing drive to promote safe driving and prevent accidents,” says Emanuele Piga, director customer solutions and new services development at Volvo Trucks.

Volvo Trucks will initially introduce Connected Safety on new trucks in Sweden and Norway.