Volvo revolutionizes in-car communication
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

Imagine driving down the freeway and your car tells you that you are low on fuel and that at the next exit is a gas station that accepts your specific credit card and shows you directions to get there. Imagine a car that realizes that you have a specific service problem, diagnoses it and even makes an appointment with your dealer to have it fixed! Far fetched. No, just in the near future.

With Volvo’s On Call Plus service, Volvo is bringing state-of-the-art communications possibilities to their cars. The new system combines Global Positioning System navigation, mobile telephone technology and direct satellite communications with Volvo’s breakthrough multiplex computer management to create a versatile system that can summon help in the case of a collision, breakdown or personal threat even if the car is out of mobile phone range. Volvo On Call Plus will soon be available as an option on selected Volvo models.

The multi-facetted new system will alert a central monitoring service if the car is in a collision which triggers the vehicle’s airbags and put the occupants in touch with help if the car is in an area with mobile phone service. The system can even dispatch an ambulance to the exact location when the Volvo On Call Plus alarm center can’t talk directly to the passengers.

The system features the auto industry’s first direct communications link via satellite to permit it to function even when outside of cellular telephone coverage areas. On Call Plus will be expandable to include future services as technology and demand increase. Right now the system has the potential to provide interactive travel directions. New services are expected to be added as mobile phone networks expand their capabilities and new technologies make new features available. Instant local weather reports or stock market information, video surveillance for protection against theft, or even pay-per-view movies are among the many potential future services. Perhaps parents may one day be able to relax just a little when they loan the car to the kids, knowing that they have limited the speed of the vehicle with one call to Volvo On Call Plus.