When it comes to passenger safety, Volvo has been one of the auto industry’s most innovative players for decades. That trend is set to continue, as the Swedish automaker recently announced an expansion of its Connected Safety features, which enable its vehicles to communicate with each other about road hazards and other safety issues.
Volvo’s Connected Safety tech has been around since 2016, enabling select models to communicate with one another. Using cloud connectivity, the system shares data among Volvo vehicles, especially in Europe, where advanced road infrastructure facilitates wider, cross-brand communication. The United States doesn’t currently have the depth and breadth of connectivity infrastructure that would enable Volvos to communicate with other brands.
The EX90, EX60, and ES90 in Europe, Canada, and the United States will receive the updates. Four new features join the existing package via an over-the-air software update, but Volvo hasn’t given a release date.
New features include:
- Large Animal Alerts: Warns other drivers if the vehicle detects a large animal on or near the road.
- Vulnerable Road User Alerts: Warns other drivers if cyclists or pedestrians are detected on or near the road.
- Roadwork Alerts: Let drivers know about upcoming construction and other hazards.
- Accident Ahead Alerts: Warns of crashes using real-time data from Volvo vehicles or traffic management systems.
Volvo noted that more than a million of its vehicles have the Connected Safety technology, but we don’t know how many of them include the three models receiving the updates. Beyond safety tech, the software refresh includes Spatial Audio support for Apple CarPlay in the EX90 with Dolby Atmos technology.
There’s also a new Safety Coach app that monitors the driver’s behavior to provide safe driving tips and other information. It launches in Sweden and Norway first, ahead of a wider release in Europe and the U.S. The app may provide information on insurance discounts in markets that allow such advertisements.
