RE: Volvo to fit all cars with 112mph speed limiter
Discussion
I wonder if this is a smart move where Volvo will try
And convince consumers that headline top speeds on vehicles are pointless.
If they succeed it will sit nicely with all the upcoming pure EV models
Which will all be vmax limited to protect the batteries
(my Dad’s i3 limiter is 93mph)
I only hope Volvo drivers never meet that crazy gunman in an old
Hatch that does 113mph....
And convince consumers that headline top speeds on vehicles are pointless.
If they succeed it will sit nicely with all the upcoming pure EV models
Which will all be vmax limited to protect the batteries
(my Dad’s i3 limiter is 93mph)
I only hope Volvo drivers never meet that crazy gunman in an old
Hatch that does 113mph....
I'm pretty sure the whole safety thing is just a PR smokescreen. The real reason for limiting the top speed of Volvo's future cars is likely to be linked directly with their already stated commitment to electrifying all new models launched after 2019, and a trend we will see from other manufacturers in the future. If the vehicle speed is limited to a sensible number then a 'through the road' hybrid system (a la 'Volvo twin engine') does not need a multi speed gearbox on the electric axle and can deliver useful electric performance with a single gear, which keeps size/weight/cost of the vehicle down.
High performance hybrids (think BMW i8) have to have a more complex two speed gearbox on the electrified axle (or at least a motor disconnect clutch) to ensure that the electric motor does not exceed its maximum speed capability when the vehicle uses the full drag restricted top speed afforded by the conventional internal combustion engined powertrain. Without multiple gears or disconnect clutch the motor would have to be geared so tall that it would offer poor EV performance at low speed and/or limited gradeability in EV mode. On the other hand, overspeeding an electric motor would result in thermal meltdown.
Chris
High performance hybrids (think BMW i8) have to have a more complex two speed gearbox on the electrified axle (or at least a motor disconnect clutch) to ensure that the electric motor does not exceed its maximum speed capability when the vehicle uses the full drag restricted top speed afforded by the conventional internal combustion engined powertrain. Without multiple gears or disconnect clutch the motor would have to be geared so tall that it would offer poor EV performance at low speed and/or limited gradeability in EV mode. On the other hand, overspeeding an electric motor would result in thermal meltdown.
Chris
The article said:
It’s taken away a chunk of the driver’s responsibility in governing speed, yet not done something truly bold in, say, using navigation, camera and radar technology to ensure its cars never exceed any speed limit on any given road. That truly would be a bold and innovative step, and would in theory ensure no new Volvo was ever [...] involved in an incident where excess speed was a factor [...]
No incidents involve excess speed below a speed limit?In reality 112mph is probably fast enough for anyone on public roads and Volvo is not really a high flyer in the performance car sector, so not likely to be a problem for most.
It is the principle that is a little more concerning however. Linking speed with accidents isn't actually that helpful at all, it is in appropriate speed that is a concern. 30mph is inappropriate in a car park for instance, yet 150mph is fine on certain circuits.
In truth this is a headline grabber and probably a by product of the electrification of its model range, which is far more suited to high acceleration performance rather than high top speed. So a driveline limitation becomes a safety feature.
Edit: beaten to it again...
It is the principle that is a little more concerning however. Linking speed with accidents isn't actually that helpful at all, it is in appropriate speed that is a concern. 30mph is inappropriate in a car park for instance, yet 150mph is fine on certain circuits.
In truth this is a headline grabber and probably a by product of the electrification of its model range, which is far more suited to high acceleration performance rather than high top speed. So a driveline limitation becomes a safety feature.
Edit: beaten to it again...
Didnt citroen do the same with the cactus, but they were more honest with the reason 
They made it speed limited to be able so save weight, dev cost and money, which i think isnt unreasonable. Most non car interested people wont ever drive above 140km/h, they would most likely not pay for having a car uppspecced to drive faster if they had the choice.
They made it speed limited to be able so save weight, dev cost and money, which i think isnt unreasonable. Most non car interested people wont ever drive above 140km/h, they would most likely not pay for having a car uppspecced to drive faster if they had the choice.
wab172uk said:
Sales in Germany will drop like a stone overnight.
Germany won't have de-restricted Autobahns for much longer it seems, so 180kmh will be 50kmh over their proposed (and some say imminent) blanket restriction of 130kmh. The 250kmh speed limiter widely employed on German machinery tallies with their insurance limitations - you have an accident where speed above 250kmh was a factor, and your insurance doesn't cover you. Note that it's not only Autobahns that are derestricted in Germany - if you have a dual carriageway Bundesstrasse (A-road) with a National Speed Limit sign, there is no limit on that road.
And like all autonomous & safety related features you can generally turn them off.
This is volvo just posturing with some ass covering thrown in for good measures as their kit isn't advanced enough/they don't want to spend the £££ to certify their emergency intervention features at abnormally high speeds
This is volvo just posturing with some ass covering thrown in for good measures as their kit isn't advanced enough/they don't want to spend the £££ to certify their emergency intervention features at abnormally high speeds
Jhonno said:
The start of a slippery slope..
Control. Removing freedom of choice. Tracking.
Disagree with this PR nonsense. I wonder if they can show how many were actually killed over 112mph to justify it.
I don't think we're at the start of this particular slope - we've been on it for years.Control. Removing freedom of choice. Tracking.
Disagree with this PR nonsense. I wonder if they can show how many were actually killed over 112mph to justify it.
Plenty of car models have been arbitrarily limited to 155mph and plenty of EVs have their top speed limited by their manufacturer. In no sense are Volvo pioneering in this sort of behaviour.
underphil said:
isn't that because hardly anyone drives that fast?
In the UK, yes, but for tens of millions of Germans and for tens of millions of Europeans who live in the nine
countries that border Germany, it's a perfectly ordinary
autobahn speed.
A Nissan Micra will do 110 mph and a humble BMW 320 will go 30 mph faster.
Volvo are merely appealing to their core customers with their
latest idea that being forced to drive slowly is a good approximation
to driving carefully.
I don’t think this is a bad idea tbh and I genuinely can’t see why they wouldn’t drop it to say 85mph for certain territories (such as the UK). Congestion and other unpredictable traffic are the limiting factors here and until that changes or disappears carrying speeds over 85mph for more than a few miles (at best!) on UK motorways will be challenging
CedricN said:
Didnt citroen do the same with the cactus, but they were more honest with the reason They made it speed limited to be able so save weight, dev cost and money, which i think isnt unreasonable. Most non car interested people wont ever drive above 140km/h, they would most likely not pay for having a car uppspecced to drive faster if they had the choice.
I think this is a good point and it's one that Volvo should address. They made it speed limited to be able so save weight, dev cost and money, which i think isnt unreasonable. Most non car interested people wont ever drive above 140km/h, they would most likely not pay for having a car uppspecced to drive faster if they had the choice.Presumably a lot of their cars will continue to have the power and aerodynamics to go substantially faster than 180km/h but will the company design the rest of the car (e.g. brakes) to cope with such speeds?
fast diesel boy said:
Next RE:..Volvo go into administration.
Good riddance.
You really think Volvo, with annual sales totalling 600,000 cars a year, will go into administration because they're speed limiting their cars? Good riddance.
It's a Volvo, not a Ferrari. How many of them do you think actually go above 100mph in their whole life cycle?
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