Electrification and technology at the service of safety: Volvo confirms its strategy for the future, continuing its goal of becoming electric only as early as 2030 and announcing a series of innovative systems in the name of safe driving.
The Swedish brand talked about it during the “Volvo Cars Tech Moments” event, which was also attended by representatives of hi-tech companies such as Google, Luminar, Northvolt and Nvidia. The goal is to make the car safer and more and more connected (with the road and with other vehicles) and to ensure that through cutting-edge hardware and software it can receive and process traffic information in real time and autonomously avoid dangerous situations.
Data sent in real time to a “data factory”
On Volvo’s future cars, therefore, systems such as the high-resolution Lidar detection sensors signed by the American Luminar (the agreement was signed in 2020, the first for the start-up) and a computer for autonomous driving will be implemented on Nvidia’s new Orin system-on-a-chip. The data sent and collected in real time will be conveyed to a “data factory” managed by Zenseact, which will be able to contain over 200 PebiBytes (225 million gigabytes) of material over the next few years. Once elaborated, they will allow changes to safety and driving assistance systems to be made more quickly and remotely, especially when autonomous driving becomes dominant.
The Volvo roanmap therefore moves straight towards the so-called “Vision Zero”, a future in which accidents will be reduced to the point of completely erasing the possibility: “With the help of real data we are able to accelerate our development processes, reducing them the duration from years to days – said Ödgärd Andersson, CEO of Zenseact, the Volvo Cars software development company for autonomous driving – Since real-time collection generates much more data, we can create better data sets and superior quality that allow us to make more effective and timely decisions in relation to upcoming safety innovations. We are taking a giant step towards increasing safety in and around our cars. “
Volvo Concept Recharge, the Volvo manifesto
The “state of the art” of Volvo’s vision is reflected in the Volvo Concept Recharge, the manifesto of the next generation of fully electric cars. The concept of “less is more” that the Scandinavian house likes so much has led to remodeling spaces and lines, with the battery pack under the flat floor, repositioned seats and lower hood to increase aerodynamics – and therefore autonomy.
The interiors are essential and elegant, made up largely of sustainable and natural materials: “We have recreated the typical atmosphere of a Scandinavian living room,” explained Robin Page, head of design.
The flagship, however, are the electronic safety systems, including the Luminar Lidar sensor positioned on the roof and the super computer based on artificial intelligence. Elements that will debut on Volvo’s all-electric SUV, the successor model to the XC90 that will be presented in 2022.
“As we make the transition to become a purely electric high-end car manufacturer by 2030, we are committed to building the best cars of our 94-year history,” said Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars. exciting moment in our evolution and we will be able to meet the growing customer demand for 100% electric cars that offer seamless connectivity, industry-leading safety standards and advanced autonomous driving functions. “
