WORLD NEWS
Thanks to pioneering
collaboration, two independent
vehicle manufacturers are
allowing their cars and trucks
to share real-time traffic hazard
information. Volvo Trucks is
introducing a cloud-based service,
Connected Safety, which allows
Volvo trucks and Volvo cars to
automatically alert each other to
hazardous traffic situations.
The passenger-car version of
Connected Safety was launched
by Volvo Cars in 2016. With Volvo
Trucks now rolling out its version
of the service, trucks and cars
can alert each other of potential
hazards. This is possible because
the two companies share safety-
related data between their
respective clouds.
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.
“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 Carl Johan
Volvo trucks and cars alert each other in traffic
When the hazard warning lights are switched on, the truck sends a signal via the driver’s Internet-connected
mobile phone to Volvo Trucks’ cloud service. The information is forwarded to the corresponding service at Volvo
Cars. An alert is transmitted to all connected vehicles approaching the location of the vehicle whose hazard
lights have been activated.
Almqvist, Traffic and Product
safety director at Volvo Trucks.
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 its
trucks today. Volvo Trucks will
initially introduce Connected
Safety on new trucks in Sweden
and Norway, where both Volvo
Trucks and Volvo Cars account
for a considerable proportion
of annual new-vehicle
registrations.
Facts about Volvo Trucks Connected Safety
• When the hazard warning lights are switched on, the truck sends a signal
via the driver’s Internet-connected mobile phone to Volvo Trucks’ cloud
service. The information is forwarded to the corresponding service at
Volvo Cars. An alert is transmitted to all connected vehicles approaching
the location of the vehicle whose hazard lights have been activated.
• The system will be available in Sweden and Norway during 2018.
Connected Safety is applicable to the Volvo FH16, Volvo FH, Volvo
FM, and Volvo FMX equipped with Volvo Trucks’ integrated system for
services and infotainment, depending on the truck’s specification and
choice of services.
• Adaptive Cruise Control: active cruise control that helps the driver
maintain a pre-set time gap to the vehicle in front. Collision Warning
with Emergency Brake: designed to alert the driver to the risk of
a collision with the vehicle in front and to activate the brakes if
necessary. Driver Alert Support: alerts the driver to stop for a break if
the system identifies signs of inattentiveness.
JULY 2018
9