Volvo reveals safety features of upcoming EX90 electric SUV
Volvo has revealed a number of new and innovative safety features for its upcoming electric SUV, the EX90.
Ahead of the vehicles launch in November, Volvo’s chief executive Jim Rowan revealed the new safety standards for the car, which he claimed would “be beyond that of any Volvo before it.”
In a video published on the Swedish manufacturer’s YouTube channel, Rowan highlighted the EX90’s unique set of eight cameras, five radars, 16 ultrasonic sensors and a cutting-edge LiDAR sensor, as the brand targets “zero deaths and serious injuries in new Volvo cars.”
LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges with high precision and fidelity. Research from Volvo indicates that adding LiDAR to an already safe car can reduce accidents with severe outcomes by up to 20 per cent, and overall crash avoidance can be improved by up to nine per cent.
Embedded in the roofline of the next EX90 and becoming standardised over time, the superior LiDAR technology can detect pedestrians at up to 250-metre distances and something as small and dark as a tyre on a black road 120 metres ahead. All this while traveling at highway speeds.
The car will not only be able to step in and assist the driver, it will also have a better understanding of when it’s needed and how assist in the best way.
“We believe the EX90 to be the safest Volvo car to ever hit the road,” said Joachim de Verdier, Head of Safe Vehicle Automation at Volvo Cars. “We are fusing our understanding of the outside environment with our more detailed understanding of driver attention. When all our safety systems, sensors, software and computing power come together, they create a preventative shield of safety around you – and you won’t even know it’s there until you need it.”
The EX90 will also be equipped with special sensors and cameras inside the car, powered by in-house-developed algorithms, to gauge eye gaze concentration. The technology allows the EX90 to see when you’re distracted, tired or otherwise inattentive.
It will alert you, first softly nudging, then more insistent if needed, and if you fall asleep or are taken ill while driving, the EX90 is designed to safely stop and call for help.
Volvo will reveal more details on the EX90’s safety features, and other details of the car, over the coming weeks through the manufacturer’s YouTube channel.
