Tomorrow’s Volvo truck identifies dangers in advance

Imagine trucks that can automatically identify traffic hazards long before the driver does! Fantasy? No, this can really become a reality within the next ten years when today (22nd Oct) and tomorrow, Volvo Trucks and a number of other partners will reveal how tomorrow’s traffic safety can be improved through new solutions for communication between vehicles and their surroundings. The demonstration will take place on a test track outside Frankfurt in Germany.

Roadworks beyond the next bend, an emergency rescue vehicle approaching fast from behind, a car that has come to a standstill in the middle of the road or an icy patch of road. These are some examples of potential accident situations that can be avoided if trucks, cars, motorcycles and infrastructure all speak the same language.

“With new communication technology, the driver can quickly be alerted to a possible hazard and thus more easily avoid problems. This opens the door to an entirely new generation of accident-prevention safety solutions,” says Lars-Göran Löwenadler, Safety Director at Volvo Trucks.

Communication system demonstrated on the test track

Within the framework of an EU-wide joint drive called ‘Car 2 Car Communications Consortium’ (C2C-CC), vehicle manufacturers, systems suppliers and researchers have worked together to develop a system that permits communication between vehicles and their surroundings. It is the practical applications of this project that will be demonstrated for the very first time on 22nd – 23rd October in a number of realistic simulations at Opel’s test track in Dudenhofen outside Frankfurt, Germany.

The joint project brings together nine car manufacturers, but just one truck maker.
“Just like C2C-CC, Volvo Trucks has a strong focus on accident-prevention safety, where we take into account the entire complex traffic environment. By participating in this joint project, we are involved in laying the foundation for even higher safety, not just for the people driving our trucks, but for all road users in Europe,” explains Lars-Göran Löwenadler.

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