During today's Volvo Cars Tech Moment, the Swedish company had a lot of surprises for us. One of them was that very soon, Volvos will not (only) use the operating systems we know to date, but their... own. Listening to its customers who - as the Volvo people admit - increasingly judge how attractive a car is by software-related functions and features, rather than traditional "automotive" virtues, the brand decided to move to in-house software development.
It may be a narrow way of thinking for today's car buyers, but at least it's not narrow in the way Volvo interprets it. So next-generation all-electric Volvos, including the company's first SUV based on new all-electric technology, will use Volvo Cars' operating system (OS), called VolvoCars.OS, for faster and more flexible development. Combined with more frequent wireless (Over The Air) updates to customers' cars over their lifetime, the company aims to make its cars better every day.
VolvoCars.OS will act as an umbrella system for Volvo's electric models. It integrates the company's various in-car and cloud-based operating systems, creating a cohesive OS software environment. These operating systems include Android Automotive OS, QNX, AUTOSAR and Linux.
Through a variety of application programming interfaces (APIs), including the recently announced Extended Vehicle API, VolvoCars.OS provides developers with access to in-car functions such as vehicle sensor data, user interface and cloud-based functions such as fleet data, subject to customer consent. This allows developers to create new services and applications for Volvo cars.
"By developing software in-house, we have the ability to accelerate development and improve your Volvo faster than we can today," said Henrik Green, Head of Technology at Volvo Cars. "Just like what happens on your smartphone or computer, new software and features can be installed instantly via wireless (Over The Air) updates, making your Volvo better and increasingly enjoyable."
To really take advantage of in-house software development, Volvo Cars concentrates the computers of its pure electric cars in one core, greatly reducing complexity. Instead of relying on multiple electronic control units scattered around the car to control various functions and systems, an increasing proportion of the software developed in-house will run on a powerful central computing system within the car.
The central computer system, which will initially be introduced in a new Volvo model to be revealed in 2022, consists of three main computers, which support each other in processing artificial vision and artificial intelligence data, general computing tasks and infotainment system functions.
The move to the mainframe also allows Volvo Cars to gradually separate hardware from software. This means that the company can shorten hardware life cycles so that new Volvo models are equipped with the latest available hardware every time.
Volvo Cars makes the shift to in-house development and centralised computing, in collaboration with leading technology companies. These include NVIDIA, with whom Volvo works on processor systems, and Google, its partner in infotainment systems.
"We have a strategy of working with technology leaders where it makes sense to do so," Henrik Green added. "Google is a true leader in user experience and services, from Google Maps to Google Assistant, while NVIDIA gives us access to some of the fastest and most capable computers. The tactic of selective strategic partnerships is far more effective than trying to do everything on your own."
Volvo Cars' successful collaboration with technology leaders to offer customers the best possible user experience is also behind its decision to open up its VolvoCars.OS to third-party innovation through open APIs.
