Volvo Trucks said it is introducing a cloud-based service called Connected Safety that allows Volvo’s cars and trucks to share real-time information on traffic hazards.
Volvo Cars launched the passenger-car version of Connected Safety in 2016. Volvo Group, the umbrella company for Volvo Trucks and Volvo Cars, noted that the two subsidiaries share safety-related data between their respective clouds, allowing their cars and trucks to alert each other to potential traffic problems.
“Expanded cooperation between different players is one of the most important keys to improved road safety,” said Carl 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.”
Volvo said it developed Connected Safety to send alerts to nearby connected vehicles whenever a driver activates the vehicle’s hazard warning lights.
“A vehicle standing still by the roadside in poor visibility risks being hit from the rear, which can have severe consequences,” Almqvist said. “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.”
In the longer term, the cloud-based service can be expanded with additional safety-enhancing functions, Volvo noted.
“As the technology undergoes further refinement 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,” said Emanuele Piga, director of customer solutions and new services development at Volvo Trucks. “Connected Safety marks the start of a new phase in our ongoing drive to promote safe driving and prevent accidents.”
Volvo Trucks said it plans to introduce Connected Safety this year on new trucks in Sweden and Norway, “where Volvo Trucks and Volvo Cars account for a significant proportion of annual new-vehicle registrations.”
