Volvo SCC

July 15, 2003 7:36 AM

Volvo SCC definitely provides some great new ideas - both innovative and practical for the near future (i.e., heartbeat sensor, adaptive headlights)
posted by adamms222 (23 comments total)

Kitt?
posted by Robot Johnny at 7:46 AM on July 15, 2003

I wish they'd make Volvos dangerous for once... might stop the people who drive them thinking they are indestructable.

[cue SUV sidetrack in 3... 2... 1...]

But yeah, they look like some interesting advances. There are still shedloads of things not appearing on cars yet though. Kind of makes you wonder who decides what gets through and what doesn't.

Anything that stops drivers falling asleep is a damned fine idea...
posted by twine42 at 7:51 AM on July 15, 2003

The big win on this is the see through A pillars, Volvos being on the solid side tend to have very wide A pillars which makes forward visibility a bit of pain when taking certain corners.
posted by zeoslap at 8:33 AM on July 15, 2003

very cool stuff. I've often said to my husband I wish there was a way to differentiate when a driver in front of you is breaking hard as opposed to a soft break. Would esp. help for those who are behind drivers who love their breaks.
posted by evening at 9:50 AM on July 15, 2003

evening, I had the very same thought a few months ago. I wish companies added variable-brightness brakelights so that drivers behind could get extra information about how strongly someone is stopping.

Love the flash preloader's Pong riff, by the way.
posted by mathowie at 10:04 AM on July 15, 2003

breaking hard as opposed to a soft break. Would esp. help for those who are behind drivers who love their breaks.

oh, gimme a brake!
posted by quonsar at 10:05 AM on July 15, 2003

Yea I don't know why they don't do the brake thing. The technology is available now. I see it every day at the diner in the Love-O-Meter machine.
posted by mss at 10:15 AM on July 15, 2003

To tell if someone is breaking hard, watch for the bumper to rise.

There are some problems with variable brake lights I think. For example, if somebody stomps hard on the brakes, the only input you get is that the brake lights go on, but you have no idea if their bright brake lights are just fresh bulbs or if they are really slamming the pedal. The other scenario is worse: ancient/dusty break lights could light dimly even under a heavy stop, causing serious confusion.

The flashing scheme Volvo's putting forward makes lots of sense though. I've seen it used very effectively on some motor cycles. I think ideally the brake would have an 'always on' light (lit when the brakes are active) and then a flasher on top of that.

Personally, I'm shocked Volvo hasn't invented a 'Quit Riding My Bumper' light. At present, I'm forced to use the reverse lights for that function (ah the joys of manual).
posted by daver at 10:50 AM on July 15, 2003

most BMWs already have variable-intensity brake lights.

Adaptive headlights are also available on the current 3-series.

here's an article regarding the lighting technologies on the 3-series.
posted by bhayes82 at 11:14 AM on July 15, 2003

The Peugeot 307 I rented in France (really a great little car -- wish we had these in the US as an alternative to ubiquitous Golfs and Jettas) had a feature where under hard braking the car automatically turned on the hazard lights. This deceptively simple feature was particularly useful in the instance that I sampled it: Cars had come to a complete stop around a blind curve on the Italian Autostrade, and the auto-hazards not only provided more warning to those behind me while I was stopping but also after I had come to a stop. Clever.
posted by esoterica at 12:08 PM on July 15, 2003

esoterica, the auto hazards sounds great. I don't really like the idea of the variable brake lights, seems far too interpretive for something so important.
posted by zeoslap at 3:23 PM on July 15, 2003

I can see one problem with the flashing brake lights (in Australia at least) - they are illegal. The 4-point seal belt is hardly a new invention, with 4, 5 and 6 point harnesses having been used in motorsport for many years.

Apart from that, there are some cool techy gadgets in this car that I like, although some (like the night vision screen) are a bit gimmicky, I feel.
posted by dg at 3:37 PM on July 15, 2003

The car gadget I really want is the one Lexus is offering -- laser-guided cruise control that keeps you following a set distance behind the vehicle in front of you, regardless of their speed.
posted by kindall at 4:16 PM on July 15, 2003

Personally, I'm shocked Volvo hasn't invented a 'Quit Riding My Bumper' light. At present, I'm forced to use the reverse lights for that function (ah the joys of manual).

An alternative is turning on your windshield washers. The overspray at highway speeds is enough to give them a good spatter on their windshield. Literally: piss off.
posted by letitrain at 4:40 PM on July 15, 2003

I use a more direct approach to those who feel the need to be too close to the back of me. A quick, hard jab on the brake pedal without lifting off the accelerator will make your car dip as if you are braking hard, light up the brake lights and, in most cases, scare enough crap out of the tailgater to make him/her back off. All without reducing your speed more than a few kph, so avoiding the risk of them actually hitting you. Be warned though - some do not take at all kindly to this tactic.
posted by dg at 5:05 PM on July 15, 2003

"Be warned though - some do not take at all kindly to this tactic." Yeah, especially my mussus when she's aboard.
posted by marvin at 8:16 PM on July 15, 2003

I'll agree with the auto hazards. This is something I do manually whenever freeway traffic goes from 65 to 0 suddenly.

On the other hand

The car gadget I really want is the one Lexus is offering -- laser-guided cruise control that keeps you following a set distance behind the vehicle in front of you, regardless of their speed.


For the love of god, no, no, and no! Smooth flow on the freeway depends on the right lane going slower, the middle lanes going slightly faster, and the left lane going fastest. Someone going slow in the fast lane is a hazard whose dangerousness is magnified by all the cars that pile up behind. Someone going fast in the slow lane or passing on the right is a hazard. It's pretty simple, pick a speed, pick a lane that's going that speed, and pay attention.
posted by rdr at 11:17 PM on July 15, 2003

I'm not crazy about the biometric security: fingerprint locks. Experience has proven that they are all too easy to fool. If your car is stolen, what's Volvo going to do: issue you new thumbs? Besides, humans don't come standard with remote entry transmitters.
posted by bonehead at 8:00 AM on July 16, 2003

It's pretty simple, pick a speed, pick a lane that's going that speed, and pay attention.

Um, yeah, that's exactly what this thing does. It goes the same speed the lane is going. The only thing is, you don't have to pay (as much) attention.
posted by kindall at 8:37 AM on July 16, 2003

Not to argue. But... If you're in the slow lane, you'll eventually end up behind the car that 's going 10 mph below the speed limit. If you're in the slow lane, then you'll eventually behind the car going too slow for the flow of traffic. Normally you would pass both cars. With this gadget you're going to end up being the second car driving erratically. When I wrote pick a speed I meant pick a constant speed. If you let another car dictate a randomly fluctuating or inappropriate speed, then you become just as much of a hazard as they are. A cruise control that avoids crashing into the car in front of you is fine. A cruise control that copies whatever the idiot in front of you is doing by following at a set distance is dangerous.
posted by rdr at 10:34 AM on July 16, 2003

Also I wonder what the cruise control does when the car in front of you does a panic stop. How fast does it react, and what does it do? If the car ahead of you hits something, thereby slowing down much faster than your car is capable of doing on its own (i.e. without the help of an obstacle), does it continue braking, swerve, give up and leave it up to the driver, or what?
posted by Poagao at 12:06 AM on July 17, 2003

Look, this thing is a cruise control. You're not even going to use it in heavy traffic. It is for road trips. It would be handy if you are with a group traveling in two cars, or if you're drafting a semi, or if you're cruising along in the fast lane and someone slower pulls over in front of you.

I don't know how it handles panic stops, not currently being in a position to purchase a Lexus, but you know, regular cruise control doesn't handle panic stops very well either, and this could hardly be worse. Besides, it's a Japanese car, so it's obviously going to do something smart and useful.
posted by kindall at 12:24 AM on July 17, 2003

Or smart and useless, which would be far more likely.
posted by dg at 12:34 AM on July 17, 2003