(Credit:
Volvo Car)
Volvo is offering a tool to help drivers realize when they are too drunk to drive.
Its Alcoguard device tests alcohol levels in drivers and will be available as an option on its 2008 Volvo S80, V70 and XC70 models in Sweden, the U.S. and Europe.
The Alcoguard is a handheld device that wirelessly integrates with the car to prevent drivers over the legal alcohol limit from starting it up. Volvo refers to the device, which must be used within 10 meters (about 33 feet) of the car, as an "alcolock."
Drivers must blow into the device, which is powered by fuel-cell technology, before the car with an alcolock can be started.
"Unlike semiconductors, for instance, fuel cells only react to ethanol and nothing else. In the fuel cell, the ethanol molecules pass through a sensitive membrane and an electrical current is generated. This current is then measured. Higher current means more alcohol in the driver's breath," David Nilsson, technical project manager for Alcoguard at Volvo Cars, said in a statement.
Test results showing more than a 0.2 g/l alcohol level (the Swedish limit) are indicated with a red LED light and the car's engine will not start. The car will start with results below 0.1 g/l alcohol indicated by a green LED and between 0.1 - 0.2 g/l indicated with a yellow LED. The tool can be adjusted by Volvo to meet the blood alcohol limits of specific countries.
Results are stored for up to 30 minutes so drivers don't have to keep retesting every time they turn off the car and then get back in again within a short time span as they would while running errands.
The obvious question is whether drivers can cheat the device. While a drunk driver could theoretically have someone else start the car for them, this would necessitate a sober person enabling the drunk person to drive. A drunk person alone would not be able to get around the system.
"Thanks to advanced sensors, it is not possible to use external air sources such as a pump to cheat the system," said Volvo in a statement.
The feature will be of specific value to fleet-based cars used by companies, municipalities, police forces and taxi services, said Volvo in a statement. It plans to add the tool as an option to its other models by summer 2008.
Nissan announced similar DUI-technology in July 2007.
Volvo's Driver Alert lets you know when your driving skills wane and it's time for a coffee break.
(Credit: Volvo Car)Five new high-tech features will be available on Volvo's S80, V70 and XC70 models by the end of the year, the company announced Tuesday.
The Swedish company joins the ranks of several automakers who are bringing high-tech features to even the most budget models.
Volvo's most interesting feature may be a new take on monitoring driver behavior.
Driver Alert Control, as Volvo calls it, uses a camera and sensors to monitor a car's general behavior in terms of speed and staying in lane, not the driver's behavior within a cockpit. If, through a combination of factors, it calculates poor driving the car will sound a beep and flash a coffee cup on screen to remind the driver to take a break.
Adaptive cruise control, as with most cars, allows the driver to set a speed range and desired distance from the next car. The system then self-regulates speed based on those parameters.
Volvo also includes a distant alert feature that will additionally give a warning if the driver is tailgating while not in adaptive cruise control mode.
An updated version of the collision warning system Volvo released in 2006 will now automatically brake if the driver does not react in time after being given a warning. The car uses a combination of radar and camera to determine imminent crashing with other objects.
A feature to help prevent drifting into other lanes or changing lanes without warning other drivers, which Volvo says is the cause of a quarter of all accidents in the U.S., has also been added.
Volvo's lane departure warning system uses a camera to track road markings and sound an alarm when drivers depart their lane without signaling. The system differs from the BMW and Audi lane departure warning systems that vibrate the steering wheel to mimic the feeling of rumble strips when drivers drift out of lane.
News of the high-tech feature availability follows Volvo's announcement that its 2008 C30 turbo diesel "Efficiency" model will get 52 miles per gallon.
The Volvo C30 Efficiency is expected to get about 52 mpg.
(Credit: Volvo Car Corporation)Looks like the 2008 C30 from Volvo will offer more to entice young consumers than just an impressive sound system, a hatchback with room for Ikea packages and a wonderfully quirky Web site.
Volvo announced Monday that an "Efficiency" version of the 2008 C30 with a 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine will get about 4.5 liters/100 km (52 mpg).
Additionally, Volvo said that its Volvo C30, S40 and V50 with the 2-liter turbo diesel engine will have a new "Powershift" gearbox that will reduce overall fuel consumption by about 8 percent.
The Volvo C30 was originally announced at the 2006 Paris Auto Show and is anticipated to be a rival for young consumers against Audi's A3 and BMW's Mini, Mini Cooper Clubman and 1-series models.
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