Behind the Tech: Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms powering Volvo Cars’ upcoming electric vehicles [video]

Cars are evolving, and consumers today are demanding more efficiency, safety, new experiences, and services powered by greater intelligence and connectivity. Digital transformation is the core of this evolution. This is affecting the ways cars are manufactured, the supply chain, the partners automakers are working with, and even the skills and components needed to create cars. It also presents new opportunities for automakers to differentiate their offerings, grow market share, and strengthen or reinforce their respective brands.

Based on more than 20 years of automotive industry experience, Qualcomm Technologies’ extensive product portfolio is at the center of the global automotive ecosystem. Our Snapdragon Digital Chassis — a set of technology solutions for building connected and intelligent vehicles that are safer, customizable, immersive, and continually upgradeable — is empowering automakers to redefine vehicles for the 21st century and create new opportunities for the industry.

At CES 2022, Qualcomm Technologies and Volvo Car Group announced their plans to enhance infotainment systems in upcoming fully electric cars under the Volvo Cars and Polestar brands with Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms.

To find out more about the collaboration helping drive future Volvo Cars and Polestar vehicles, we sat down with Thomas Stovicek, Head of UX at Volvo Cars.

OnQ: Can you tell us more about how Qualcomm Technologies and Volvo Cars collaborated?

Thomas: Our teams worked closely together to improve the system we have in our cars today. We developed a long-term roadmap to bring added value to Volvo Cars customers while enabling a fast, highly responsive, and compelling user experience. Through our combined efforts, which also included working with Google, the infotainment systems in Volvo Cars’ upcoming fully electric SUV and Polestar 3 will be powered by next-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and its advanced suite of wireless technologies to support advanced Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. 

Can you share why you selected to work with Qualcomm Technologies specifically?

Volvo Cars is a company that believes in collaborating with technology leaders across the world to give our customers the best possible experiences. Qualcomm Technologies’ deep knowledge of the automotive sector provides a good foundation for a long-term relationship between us. With Qualcomm Technologies’ technology in our forthcoming fully electric SUV, we are confident our infotainment system will reach the next level.

What is unique about the new infotainment system, and how does it differentiate itself?

Through the relationship, we optimized and aligned the software development pipeline to advance a product with improved performance. This means 2.5 times faster overall system speed, 5 to 10 times faster graphics rendering, and 2.5 times faster audio digital signal processing. With Google’s Android Automotive OS (AAOS), Volvo Cars’ upcoming fully electric SUV and Polestar 3 will allow for remote vehicle actions via the Google Assistant and more precise navigation with Google Maps, as well as a broad ecosystem of automotive applications and services on Google Play. Future improvements will be rolled out as over-the-air (OTA) updates.

What are you most excited about with the launch?

Offering the best possible user experience is paramount for us. What we’ve found, not only in cars but in consumer electronics in general, is that the faster and more responsive the product is, the higher quality of experience the user perceives. For our cars, we want fast, responsive systems because this makes an overall safer and more enjoyable driving experience, and I really feel excited about what the team has been able to develop. Customers of Volvo Cars’ upcoming fully electric SUV can expect an industry-leading user experience. Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms take the vehicle’s infotainment system to the next level of power, featuring a considerably faster, more responsive, and ultra-immersive sonic and visual experience. OTA updates will keep customers up to date with the latest and greatest features and services.

When can we expect to see cars on the road?

Volvo Car Group expects to launch cars featuring next-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms later this year. Until then, we have a video that gives a sneak-peek of the new user experience in-vehicle:

Thank you for your time, Thomas.

Thank you.

Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.