Volvo is adding four Connected Safety alerts to its latest electric cars, giving drivers earlier notice of hazards that may be hidden by bends, traffic or poor weather.
The over-the-air update covers the EX60, EX90 and ES90 in Europe, the US and Canada, although rollout timing varies by model.
The new warnings cover large animals, vulnerable road users, roadworks and accidents ahead. If a compatible Volvo detects a large animal on or near the road, for example, that information can be passed to following cars.
The system can also flag pedestrians or cyclists near highways, roadworks and crashes farther up the route.
Volvo’s Connected Safety technology dates back to 2016 and already includes Slippery Road Alert and Hazard Light Alert. More than one million Volvo cars have the system activated, according to the company.
The data does not have to come from another Volvo. Through Europe’s Data for Road Safety ecosystem, hazard information can also be exchanged with participating cars from other manufacturers and national traffic-management centres.
Åsa Haglund, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said shared safety information gives drivers more time to prepare for hazards and can help them avoid collisions.
There is an infotainment upgrade. Spatial Audio support in Apple CarPlay is being added to the EX90 and ES90.
Cars fitted with the optional 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system can reproduce compatible audio using Dolby Atmos, spreading different elements of music, live recordings or podcasts around the cabin.
Volvo separately began integrating Apple Music into more than two million cars earlier this year, with Spatial Audio available on selected newer models.
The update is another example of Volvo adding functions after production through its software-defined vehicle architecture.
Volvo said S&P Global Mobility has rated it Level 5, the highest tier in the organisation’s software-defined vehicle readiness framework, making it the only legacy carmaker to have reached that level. S&P defines Level 5 as its highest SDV-readiness category.
In practice, compatible cars can gain new safety and infotainment functions through software rather than waiting for a new model cycle.
