The IT Nerd

Volvo Cars is launching its largest over-the-air software update ever, as it rolls out a new, more intuitive user experience to millions of customers starting this week.

Around 2.5 million Volvo cars across 85 countries around the globe will receive the new user experience, called Volvo Car UX. A more user-friendly new layout for the car’s central display screen allows drivers to enjoy a faster, easier and more intuitive way to interact with their cars while reducing the number of taps to get to different functions.

Customers who drive a Volvo car with Google built-in will receive the upgrade on their Volvo cars built as early as 2020 free of charge, an initiative in line with Volvo Cars’ strategy to make its cars better over time with regular software updates.

Based on the Android Automotive operating system and with several Google services as standard, the new user experience aims to make customers’ lives easier behind the wheel. It now takes fewer taps or clicks for customers to reach the most-used features, getting them where they want to be more quickly.

The new layout also includes easier, more prominent navigation and a refreshed, more modern look, with many upgrades grounded in real-world research and feedback from customers. In other words, it’s simply better.

As one of the most comprehensive infotainment updates by any car maker to date, the new user experience creates a contemporary and consistent design philosophy across all Volvo car models. This means a customer with a three-year-old XC40 benefits from the same approach as an EX90 owner, for example.

The content on the screen represents the biggest change, with the most common apps and controls, such as maps, media and phone, presented on the home screen. This means for example that customers who are following navigation directions and want to change the music, no longer have to leave Google Maps to access the media feature.

Then there is the contextual bar, which changes what drivers see according to the situation and displays the most recently used apps. When driving at low speeds, the icon for outside cameras appears so drivers can get help manoeuvring in tight spaces.

For plug-in hybrid drivers, the new user experience makes it easier for drivers to get the most out of their electric powertrain. Via ‘Drive Modes’ on the home screen, drivers can easily access ‘Pure’ mode alongside other options. That means switching from hybrid to electric-only power is now only one tap away, giving drivers more control.

At the same time as the updates above, Volvo Cars will also start to roll out the opportunity for all customers with Google built-in, but without its Pilot Assist driver assistance feature, to purchase and download the feature to their car.

The update also prepares cars for an optimal conversational AI experience with Google Gemini, which is set to come to the same eligible cars later this spring.

The world-first multi-adaptive safety belt, set to debut in Volvo Cars’ soon-to-be-revealed fully electric EX60 SUV, has been recognized as one of the Best Inventions of 2025 by TIME.

TIME has revealed its annual list of the Best Inventions, which features 300 extraordinary innovations changing our lives. For the second year in a row, Volvo Cars is honoured to be included on the list for its latest safety innovation.

The new multi-adaptive safety belt is designed to even better protect occupants by adapting to the traffic conditions and the person wearing it.

Leveraging real-time data from the car’s advanced interior and exterior sensors, the system can customize protection by adjusting to the current situation and the unique personal profile of drivers and passengers, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating position.

For example, a larger occupant in a severe crash will receive a higher belt load setting to help reduce the risk of head injury, while a smaller occupant in a milder crash will receive a lower belt load setting to reduce the risk of rib fractures.

The capabilities of the new multi-adaptive safety belt are designed to continuously improve via over-the-air software updates. As Volvo Cars gathers more insights, the car can improve its understanding of the occupants, new scenarios and response strategies.

This invention demonstrates how Volvo Cars continues leading in safety innovation to better protect people by leveraging insight from real-world data.

Last year, another Volvo Cars safety feature was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. The pioneering Driver Understanding System, available in the Volvo EX90 and ES90, uses real-time sensing technology to help detect if a driver is impaired, tired or distracted, so the car can step in to provide support if needed.

The new safety belt will be introduced in the upcoming Volvo EX60, which will be shipping to dealerships shortly. Volvo Cars will also be showcasing the brand’s new multi-adaptive safety belt at the Canadian International Auto Show which runs until Sunday in Toronto.

Despite industry headwinds, 64% of Canadians looking to purchase a new vehicle say they would consider a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric as their next vehicle in the next five years, according to new research released today.

This insight appears in the 2024 Mobility Trend Report, an exploratory study by Volvo Car Canada. The study comes as the country is experiencing mixed sentiment in the electric vehicles (EVs) category due to Canadians’ automotive preferences and evolving economic conditions.

The 2024 Mobility Trend Report highlights that amidst economic headwinds, three quarters of Canadians who wouldn’t consider an EV, say it’s because they’re too expensive. While other barriers center on infrastructure and charging aspects of the vehicle: 65% are worried they will get stranded if they run out of charge, and 59% say there are not enough places to charge one respectively.

New data points to help to illustrate the barriers that are top of mind and the current sentiment towards fully electric vehicles include:

• Three-quarters (76%) of those not open to purchasing an EV say it’s too expensive.
• Nearly four in five (78%) agree there currently isn’t enough publicly available charging infrastructure to make electric vehicles a good option and 72% say they aren’t worth the cost.
• Only 15% of Canadians feel EVs are generally better than gas vehicles in terms of overall costs, including purchase price, gas/charging costs, maintenance, insurance, etc.
• Two-thirds (64%) feel the environmental benefits of EVs are over-hyped.

Addressing these concerns is critical to making a difference in consumer willingness to purchase an EV, as 46% of respondents say vehicles with a longer maximum range would make a difference, 42% say easier to find charging stations, and 38% say better government rebates or incentives.

In 2023, Volvo Car Canada unlocked additional charging access with NACS that will come into effect this year as an effort to address consumers concerns around charging infrastructure. The agreement will enable access to Tesla’s Supercharger network providing access to an additional 12,000 fast-charge points.

Recently, Volvo Car Canada launched the EX30, its smallest and most affordable SUV yet, demonstrating its efforts to effectively meet consumers’ needs. The EX30 is designed to have the smallest CO2 footprint of any Volvo car to date, and to make people’s lives safer, more convenient, and more enjoyable through cutting-edge technology and Scandinavian design.

According to the 2024 Mobility Report, those most likely to consider a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric vehicle are from BC (74%) and between the ages of 18 and 34 (76%).

March sales underscore Volvo Car Canada’s leadership in electrification and understanding consumer demands with electrified models — including both plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles — making up 50% of all sales.

Volvo Car Canada remains committed to its sustainability goals, continuously adapting to meet the needs of Canadians and paving the way for a greener future. The company plans to expand its discussions on consumer education about EVs and collaborate closely with stakeholders to enhance the EV ecosystem across Canada.

About This Study
These are the findings of a survey conducted by Volvo Car Canada from March 26^th to 28^th, 2024 among a representative sample of 1,000 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Volvo Canada has announced that Waze is now available to all Volvo cars with Google built-in around the globe. Their collaboration also brings the in-car Waze app to drivers in the US and Asia Pacific for the first time.

The best of Waze’s real-time routing, navigation and alerts are accessible with nothing more than a one-time setup after downloading in the Google Play Store in your Volvo car. No matter who’s driving the car and what device they use, navigation with Waze will be just one simple tap away.

The in-car Waze app helps make your everyday journey easier by avoiding phone-related hassles and distractions, while continuing to offer the excellent functionalities that you’ve come to expect from the Waze app on your mobile phone.

Seamlessly displayed on Volvo Cars’ infotainment system, the in-car Waze app utilises more of the centre screen in the Volvo user interface you’re most familiar with, making navigation more comfortable with a bigger and bolder eye-level display area.

With the Android emulator offered on the Volvo Cars Developer Portal, Waze could develop and test the in-car app virtually, alongside the in-car infotainment system. This dual testing allowed the team to deliver a high-quality user experience before launching in customer cars today.

The small print

• The Waze app is available for download in the Google Play Store on all Volvo cars with Google built-in in Volvo Cars’ markets globally except China, South Korea, and Vietnam.
• Availability of the features and services mentioned above may differ between markets.
• Google, Google Play, and Waze are trademarks of Google LLC.

A true seven-seater, all-electric SUV that further raises Volvo’s standards in safety and a more sustainable lifestyle: the new Volvo EX90 represents the start of a new era for Volvo in which they have set a decisive course for a fully electric future.

Starting with the Volvo EX90, they will reveal one new fully electric car each year. By 2030, Volvo aims to sell only fully electric cars, one of the most ambitious electrification blueprints in the automotive industry and crucial to Volvo’s ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.

They revealed their new fully electric flagship SUV to the world in downtown Stockholm today, reflecting their Swedish roots. At the same time, reflecting their global footprint as a company, the Volvo EX90 will be built in the USA starting next year and later also in China. By then, Volvo aims for those two production facilities to be climate-neutral.

A new instant classic in Scandinavian design, the Volvo EX90 defines the principle of form following function. It’s a versatile, stylish family car with modern proportions, combined with cutting-edge technology in core computing, connectivity and electrification to optimise safety, efficiency and aesthetics. In terms of range, expect up to 600 KMs on a charge.

Keeping you and your loved ones safe

The standard safety in the Volvo EX90 is also higher than any Volvo car before it. It’s designed to understand you and its surroundings to help keep you, your loved ones and others in traffic safe. It can also get smarter and safer over time, as it learns from new data and receives updates.

The Volvo EX90 has an invisible shield of safety enabled by their latest sensing technology, inside and outside. State-of-the art sensors like cameras, radars and lidar are connected to the car’s high-performance core computers, where NVIDIA DRIVE runs Volvo Cars’ in-house software to create a real-time, 360-degree view of the world.

Volvo’s sensors don’t get tired or distracted. They are designed to respond and react when you’re just a fraction too late. Their lidar can sense the road in front of you, whether it’s day or night, also at highway speeds. It can see small objects hundreds of metres ahead, creating more time to inform, act and avoid. The sensors also contribute to improve the reliability and overall performance of our assisted driving function Pilot Assist, with a new steering support while changing lanes.

Inside, their invisible shield of safety also looks out for you. Special sensors and cameras, powered by their own in-house developed algorithms, gauge eye gaze concentration. The technology allows the EX90 to understand when you’re distracted, drowsy or otherwise inattentive, beyond what has been possible in a Volvo car to date.

It’ll alert you, first softly nudging, then more insistent. And if the unthinkable happens, and you fall asleep or are taken ill while driving, the Volvo EX90 is designed to safely stop and call for help

Finally, thanks to the state-of-the-art sensor set including lidar, the Volvo EX90 is the first Volvo that’s hardware-ready for unsupervised driving in the future.

Technology with a purpose

A core system – powered by NVIDIA DRIVE platforms Xavier and Orin for safety systems and AI, Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon® Cockpit Platforms and in-house developed software by Volvo engineers – runs most of the core functions inside the car, from safety and infotainment to battery management. The end result is a more responsive and enjoyable experience inside the car.

In other words, your Volvo EX90 won’t be just a new car, it will be a highly advanced computer on wheels. Even better, just like your smartphone or your laptop, the Volvo EX90 is designed to get better over time, thanks to regular over-the-air software updates.

By combining the state-of-the-art computing power from Qualcomm Technologies Snapdragon’ Cockpit Platforms with the visualisation capabilities of Unreal Engine, the 3D tool developed by Epic Games and used to power some of the world’s largest games, to give you lightning-fast computing power and high-quality graphics on the in-car screens and head-up display

A 15-inch centre screen is your gateway to one of the best infotainment systems on offer, with Google built in. Google apps and services including hands-free help from Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation and more of your favourite apps on Google Play all come built in. The displays in the Volvo EX90 help you keep your eyes on the road by offering you the right information at the right time. The Volvo EX90 will also be compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay.

Thanks to the standard 5G connection where available, it’s never been easier to install the apps you need on your home screen and enjoy highly intuitive navigation. You can also stream your favourite music through the new, reference-quality Bowers & Wilkins audio system featuring Dolby Atmos as a Volvo-first, plus head rest-integrated speakers for immersive sound.

The Volvo EX90 will also come with phone key technology as standard. Your smartphone serves as your car key and automatically unlocks the car and starts a personal welcoming sequence as you approach. Your personal profile will also be loaded automatically as you enter the car

All of this technology comes together in one of the most pleasant and elegant car interiors on the market, full of natural and responsibly-sourced materials. That interior composition also reflects our sustainability ambitions, such as being a fully circular and climate-neutral company by 2040.

Supporting a more sustainable lifestyle

With its brand new, in-house developed fully electric technology base, the Volvo EX90 is your perfect companion for a more sustainable family lifestyle. Delivering up to 600 kilometres of tailpipe emission-free driving range on a single charge, according to the WLTP test cycle, it charges from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes.

The initially available twin-motor all-wheel drive version is powered by a 111kWh battery and two permanent magnet electric motors together delivering 380 kW (517 hp) and 910 Nm of torque. In combination with the brand new chassis, this creates a great and smooth driving experience.

The Volvo EX90 contains approximately 15 per cent of recycled steel, 25 per cent of recycled aluminium as well as 48 kilogrammes of recycled plastics and bio-based materials, which corresponds to around 15 per cent of the total plastic used in the car – the highest level of any Volvo car to date.

Finally, the Volvo EX90 is their first car with all the necessary hardware to enable bi-directional charging. It’s a technology whereby you can use your car battery as an extra energy supply, for example to power your home, other electric devices or another electric Volvo car. They plan to make bi-directional charging available in the future, starting with selected markets.

Today Volvo Cars announced that every Volvo it launches starting in 2019 will have an electric motor option and a hybrid option. Here is the key text from the press release:

Volvo Cars will introduce a portfolio of electrified cars across its model range, embracing fully electric cars, plug-in hybrid cars and mild hybrid cars. It will launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, three of which will be Volvo models and two of which will be high performance electrified cars from Polestar, Volvo Cars’ performance car arm. Full details of these models will be announced at a later date.

Clearly this is a move that will have some automakers scrambling to come up with something to match this. I say that because with Tesla, Nissan and Chevy doing what they can in terms of making electric cars more affordable, and car companies such as Toyota doubling down on hybrids, car companies that do neither are going to be in a bit of trouble with consumers who are looking for hybrids or electric only cars. It will be interesting to see how this play by Volvo plays out.

Two big pieces of news from Volvo this week. The first is the announcement of the new XC90:

The new XC90 offers a range of two-litre, four-cylinder Drive-E powertrains, all of which provide an outstanding combination of performance and fuel-efficiency.

The top of the range XC90 Twin Engine, which combines a two-litre, four-cylinder supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor, offers an unrivalled combination of power and clean operation: around 400 horsepower with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of around 60g/km (NEDC driving cycle).

The all-new XC90 offers the most comprehensive and technologically sophisticated standard safety package available in the automotive industry. It includes two world first safety technologies: a run-off road protection package and auto brake at intersection capability.

In a run-off road scenario, the all-new Volvo XC90 detects what is happening and the front safety belts are tightened to keep the occupants in position. To help prevent spine injuries, energy-absorbing functionality between the seat and seat frame cushions the vertical forces that can arise when the car encounters a hard landing in the terrain.

The XC90 is the first car in the world with technology that features automatic braking if the driver turns in front of an oncoming car. This is a common scenario at busy city crossings as well as on highways, where the speed limits are higher.

City Safety becomes the umbrella name for all of Volvo Cars’ auto brake functions, which are standard equipment in the all-new XC90. It now covers vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in front of the car, day and night.

The XC90’s interior is the most luxurious to have been designed for a Volvo. The most striking feature is a tablet-like touch screen control console, which forms the heart of an all-new in-car control system. This system is virtually button free and represents an entirely new way for drivers to control their car and access a range of Internet-based products and services. It also helps create an interior that is modern, spacious and uncluttered.

The new XC90 interior combines materials such as soft leather and wood with handcrafted details, including a gear lever made of crystal glass from Orrefors, the famous Swedish glassmaker, and diamond-cut controls for the start/stop button and volume control. Craftsmanship has been in sharp focus during the whole development work.

The genuine seven seater features new, innovatively designed seats that also free up interior space for passengers both in the second and third seat rows. The third row offers class-leading comfort for two passengers up to 170 cm tall.

The XC90 features one of the top audio systems available in the automotive world after Volvo Cars audio experts joined forces with their counterparts at the renowned British audio equipment company Bowers & Wilkins.

The top-of-the-line system in the XC90 features a 1,400 Watt Class D amplifier and 19 Bowers & Wilkins speakers. It also includes one of the first air-ventilated subwoofers in a car. Integrated into the car body, it turns the whole interior space into a giant subwoofer.

The latest sound processing software has been used to manage the timing of the sound and co-ordination of the speakers. This brings the emotional experience of a world-class live performance into the car.

The new XC90 is groundbreaking. But what else is groundbreaking is the fact that Volvo is releasing a limited First Edition of its all-new Volvo XC90, which was launched today in Stockholm. The 1,927 individually numbered cars celebrate the year Volvo was founded and, for the first time in history, they will only be available for sale via digital commerce at www.volvocars.com.

The online store opens for business on September 3rd at 10:00am EST (16:00 hrs CET).

The online only First Edition is just one example of Volvo Cars’ revitalized approach to marketing activities and outstanding personal service. You can bet that other car companies are watching this to see how well this works out.