Skip to main content

Volvo commits to cars that talk with other cars by 2016

The CAR 2 Car Consortium will let cars communicate with each other
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now backed by Volvo, and several other European automakers, the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium is a non-profit, industry-driven organization actively advocating for cars that communicate with one another, furthering road awareness comfort, and safety.

Beginning in 2016, Volvo pledges to implement inter-car communication technology that will allow vehicles to communicate with one another on the road irrespective of brand. Using the pre-existing GPS and navigation systems in tandem with wireless networks, future vehicles will be able to communicate and alert one another to any number of road-related information.

Volvo has laid out several key areas in which it would like to see in-car communication focused, including; green light optimum-speed advisories; emergency vehicle warnings; road construction alerts; slow vehicle warnings; traffic flow and jams; weather reports; and red-light violations.

While some of these are self explanatory, we figured we’d outline the few that seemed most distinctive.

First, the green-light optimization speed advisory: Essentially, this feature is less about safety and more about efficiency. CAR 2 CAR envisions a near future where traffic lights are able to communicate with passing vehicles informing them of the optimum speed for the vehicle to maintain in order to pass through a series of traffic lights without constantly stopping and starting. The same goes for the red-light violation warnings. Intelligent traffic signals will warn a driver who has not seen a red light and in the case of the vehicle running the red light, the signal will be able to warn the violating vehicle and others around it that might be on the path for a collision.

Lastly, construction and traffic flow alerts. Current navigation systems that alert drivers to traffic backups and offer re-routing rely solely on municipality-based alerts systems, which are often slow on the uptake. As soon as traffic begins to slow, vehicles designed with CAR 2 CAR will be able to alert those near by but also alert those in route to the traffic obstruction allowing for earlier re-routing, thereby lessening traffic congestion.

Faced with a future of autonomous cars  we’d much rather see a roadway filled with communicating intelligent vehicles rather than ones that simply do everything for us. Surprisingly, we may be seeing it sooner than we had anticipated.

Editors' Recommendations

Nick Jaynes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…
Volvo unveils the electric 2022 C40 Recharge with Android-powered in-car tech
Volvo C40 Recharge

Volvo has joined the chorus of carmakers going all-in on electric cars. It announced plans to pivot towards an EV-only range by 2030, and it introduced a battery-powered crossover named C40 Recharge to drive the point home.

As its name implies, the C40 Recharge is related to the XC40 Recharge under the body. And, if you're familiar with the Swedish firm's naming system, you'll recognize right away that the C prefix has historically denoted coupes and convertibles, such as the C30 and the C40. The C40 is not a coupe in the traditional sense of the term because it has four doors, but it wears a fastback-like roofline that underlines the company's seldom-seen emotional side. While Volvo thrives on rationality, it developed the C40 as the kind of car you buy with your heart, not with your mind.

Read more
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge first drive review: Refined EV subtlety
2021 volvo xc40 recharge first drive review electric car front three quarter

Volvo has said it plans to move away from internal combustion, but right now it only sells one car without a gasoline engine: The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge.

The Recharge is an all-electric version of the Volvo XC40 crossover, which launched for the 2019 model year. While the gasoline XC40 competes with pint-sized utility vehicles from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus, the Recharge’s size and premium branding make it a Tesla Model Y competitor. The Volvo may also be pitted against high-end versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, although price is really the only similarity between the two.

Read more
Apple in talks with Hyundai over possible car, automaker confirms
apple car release date price specs interior news 3 970x647 c 720x720

Hyundai has confirmed it’s in talks with Apple about the possibility of working together to build an electric car.

“Apple and Hyundai are in discussions but they are at an early stage and nothing has been decided,” the Korean automaker said in a statement seen by Reuters.

Read more