Volvo Vehicles to Share Road Hazard Alerts with Each Other

Volvo is enhancing three of its electric vehicles with new hazard alerts designed to notify drivers about animals and vulnerable road users in their path. These innovative safety features rely on direct communication between Volvo cars, rather than the crowdsourced alert systems commonly found in navigation apps.

The alerts utilize connected vehicle data from Volvo’s fleet across Europe, the US, and Canada. Equipped with advanced sensors and cameras, the vehicles can detect specific road hazards. When one Volvo identifies a potential danger, it logs the location and transmits this information to Volvo’s servers. Subsequently, alerts are dispatched to other Volvo vehicles traveling on the same route. While these alerts require a cloud connection and the road to be mapped, Volvo’s latest EVs are well-equipped with the processing power needed for real-time data handling.

Volvo is rolling out alerts for four key hazard types: large animals, vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, roadwork, and accidents. This feature will be available in the Volvo EX90, ES90, and EX60. Currently, Volvo has around 1 million vehicles on the road equipped with connected safety alert capabilities, and it collaborates with traffic management centers and other vehicle brands to share alert data, benefiting a wider range of drivers.

Since 2016, Volvo has been leveraging connected vehicle technology for its hazard warnings. The company’s cloud-based system, developed with Ericsson, alerts drivers to slippery roads based on inputs from steering, braking, and acceleration sensors. It also informs nearby vehicles when another car activates its hazard lights, indicating a potential danger on the road.

Additionally, the EX90 will feature Spatial Audio support for Apple CarPlay users, providing a multi-dimensional and immersive sound experience that enhances music and vocals throughout the cabin.