Volvo Car AB must take more control of the software it develops and deploys in its vehicles, new CEO Jim Rowan told Bloomberg Tuesday (March 29).
Rowan, who took the helm at Volvo last week after the company announced his hiring in January to replace longtime CEO Hakan Samuelsson, added that increasing the computing power of cars will reshape the auto industry more than the switch from combustion propulsion to electric.
“We’re going to have to be a lot more intelligent about the decisions we make around making versus buying software, and we’re going to need to understand software at a much more vestral level than before,” Rowan said.
Volvo Car has said it plans to pivot to an all-electric vehicle, all-online sales model by the end of the decade. Rowan’s thoughts on Volvo’s need to update its approach to the software it develops and deploys is similar to what Samuelsson said at a mobility conference in May.
“Today, the software is decentralized in a lot of black boxes, and we buy it from suppliers based on specifications, but when we want a change and you have to talk to suppliers, it is too slow,” said Samuelsson at the time. “To have speed of development but also to guarantee high-quality, over-the-air downloads, you really need to secure the compatibility of all functionalities and that is very difficult if you have the old structure.”
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In November, Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Holcim Switzerland said they were collaborating on joint tests and further development of autonomous electric haulers in limestone quarries.
“This project showcases a sustainable transport solution that is commercially viable and combines the technology shifts of connectivity, automation and electrification,” Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said at the time.
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