Volvo joins BMW and Mercedes in pan-European data-sharing pilot project
The groups will share anonymized safety data to hopefully make driving even safer.
A bunch of automakers, service providers and governments have joined forces to share data from cars and infrastructure, but don't worry, because it's not some freaky dystopian thing.
Volvo announced on Monday that it is teaming up with a variety of groups in a public-private partnership called the European Data Task Force, which was originally founded in 2017. The idea behind this pilot project is that all the involved groups will share vehicle and infrastructure data with one another, ideally using that data to create safer roads for everybody.
As part of the task force, Volvo will provide real-time data from its connected-car safety tech. Certain Volvo vehicles are already capable of warning each other about slippery roads or cars marooned on the side of the road, but now that data will be shared with others. Service providers or municipalities could then use that data to warn non-Volvo drivers about the same road hazards, expanding its benefits beyond a single brand.
"We think this type of anonymized data sharing should be done for free, for the greater good and to the wider benefit of society. It saves lives, time and taxpayer money," said Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars, in a statement. "I call on other car makers and governments to work with us on realizing this type of data sharing as widely as possible."
The European Data Task Force already has some big names behind it. The governments of Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Spain are already on board, and service providers like Here and TomTom Traffic are also members of the group. In terms of automakers, it's BMW, Ford , Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.
