Volvo’s focus on safety has
gone up two gears with the
news that it’s going to spy on
drivers by putting cameras in
its new cars and fitting harsher
speed limiters.
The moves are part of a
wider push to achieve its aim
of ending fatalities involving
its cars. Volvo has noted three
main areas of human behaviour
that could stand in the way of
achieving this goal: speeding,
intoxication and distraction.
The first will be dealt with by
the introduction of mandatory
speed limiters, set to 112mph.
Volvo’s announcement came
just before the European
Parliament revealed plans
to force car manufacturers
to include intelligent speed
limiters as standard safety
equipment. They use GPS
and traffic sign recognition
to set the legal maximum
automatically via cruise control
and can be overridden. It’s thesame technology that’s already
available on cars including the
Mercedes S-Class and Ford
Focus. Britain’s Department for
Transport has said it will fall into
line with Europe.
In the US, around 30 per cent
of all traffic fatalities involve
intoxicated drivers. Volvo
hopes a mix of camera-based
snooping and driving-style
monitoring will reduce that.
‘Some people still believe
that they can drive after having
had a drink, and that this will not
affect their capabilities,’ says
Volvo driver behaviour expert
Professor Trent Victor. ‘We
want to ensure that people are
not put in danger as a result of
intoxication.’
Volvo plans to introduce
a ‘Care Key’ from 2021 on all
models, allowing owners to
set speed limits when letting
someone else – like a recently
qualified driver – use their car.
Volvo CEO Håkan Samuels-
son says: ‘We want to start a
conversation about whether car
makers have the right or maybe
even an obligation to install
technology in cars that changes
their driver’s behaviour, to
tackle things such as speeding,
intoxication or distraction.’Koenigsegg’s
hybrid Direct Drive
does without a
gearboxMay 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 29JL: ‘The evolution of the energy density of batteries is a key area
of development. We’re seeing an improvement of five per cent in
energy density for a given price point per year. The Speedtail’s
battery has an energy density of 5.2kW per kilogramme, four
times as dense as the P1’s battery.’CvK: ‘Batteries are becoming around five per cent more ener-
gy-dense per year, and I don’t see any reason that trend should
change. In five years or so it should be possible to make a battery
car, with no combustion engine, that performs like the Regera.
But we will continue to improve the combustion engine also.
We foresee a shortage of battery cells, given how few are being
produced today and how many EVs there may soon be...’JL: ‘Solid-state [rather than lithium-ion] batteries can make a
difference. The indicators for energy density are interesting,
though it’s difficult to judge on the timeframe – different compa-
nies and suppliers have different views. We are working closely
with these suppliers, and we are preparing to be ready to build a
pure electric vehicle. If solid-state batteries arrive, and deliver on
the promise, then they could be the step in the sports car world
that gives the battery-electric powertrain the power density of a
petrol engine. Direct comparisons depend on the evolution of
the technology, but it could be that the first generation is a third
lighter than what we have now, quickly getting to the point
where it’s half the weight.’CvK: ‘I think full solid-state batteries are quite far away. Dyson
and some others were very confident on solid-state, then sud-
denly you read that they’re choosing something else. But while
most of the development potential is in the batteries, there is
still a lot left on the table with electric motors; making them
more compact and more powerful, and using novel cooling
methods. The trade is always cost, of course.’In-car surveillance:Volvo will bewatching youCameras in your car? How very 1984‘In five years or so it should be
possible to make a battery car,
with no combustion engine,
that performs like the Regera’
JL: ‘The wins are smaller on the motors – we don’t need the
technology steps we need from batteries. But there is more
work to do here, as there is with inverters and the power elec-
tronics. Regeneration too is an important area. Brake feel and
consistency are important for us – depending on the state of the
battery, the feel of the pedal can vary. This is particularly impor-
tant on a track, where consistency gives driver confidence – and
when the driver loses confidence he loses laptime.’