Volvo’s Electric Cars Can Now Warn You About a Deer Around a Blind Corner
Software Update Brings New Hazard Alerts to Volvo EX60, EX90, and ES90
August 26, 2026 – 7:16 pm
Credit: Volvo
Volvo is enhancing its electric car safety features with a software update that adds four new hazard alerts to the EX60, EX90, and ES90 models. These alerts include warnings for large animals (like deer), vulnerable road users, roadworks, and accidents ahead.
The concept behind this update is similar to Volvo’s existing systems, where vehicles share hazard information with each other. This feature, first piloted in Sweden and Norway, is now expanding across Europe and potentially other regions.
Europe’s Data for Road Safety Ecosystem
The European approach to this technology is unique. The alerts are powered by Data for Road Safety, an ecosystem developed by European transport ministers in 2017. This collaborative effort involves BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, HERE, TomTom, NIRA Dynamics, and road authorities from eight EU member states.
The alert categories, including "animal, people, obstacles or debris on the road," were initially defined in a 2013 EU delegated regulation. This regulation set the stage for the current ecosystem, ensuring that vehicle data sharing for safety purposes became a legal reality.
A Global and Local Approach
While Europe leads in this area, North America lacks a comparable system. Volvo has not disclosed the specific data sources for hazard alerts in the US, emphasizing that the effectiveness of a hazard network depends on the number of contributing vehicles.
Åsa Haglund, Head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, highlighted the benefits: "Every time a Volvo car shares safety intelligence, it helps other drivers prepare earlier to avoid accidents and feel safer."
Volvo continues its tradition of testing new safety features locally before expanding globally. Its Safety Coach app, which assesses driving habits and provides scores to insurers, is a recent example, launching first in Sweden and Norway.