Volvo Wants Drivers To Watch TV, Movies

Volvo Ericsson streaming video concept (Credit: Volvo)

Volvo, the king of safety, actually wants drivers to watch Game of Thrones, Star Wars and the like while behind the wheel. While that might not sound safe, the tech would be used on vehicles when they’re in autonomous mode, so it actually wouldn’t be so risky. After all, what else are people going to do while their car handles all the dirty work of navigating rush hour traffic? Read a book?

The Swedish automaker has teamed up with Ericsson to transform cars into couches on wheels. “Drivers” and passengers will be able to stream Netflix, HBO, Hulu or whatever else all in high definition. All they need to do is tell the vehicle where to go, and the navigation system estimates how long it will take. That means instead of people dreading how long it takes to get to work in the morning or to reach home in the evening, they’ll be hoping for that extra five minutes to finish their favorite show.

The dream Volvo and Ericsson have almost sounds like a dystopian science fiction movie. As Anders Tylman, General Manager Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center at Volvo Car Group, said in the automaker’s official press release, the two companies envision “a highway full of autonomous cars with their occupants sitting back watching their favourite TV shows.” Shudder.

Thanks to these kinds of technological innovations, Internet traffic will skyrocket, especially in rural areas. Streaming video chews up considerable bandwidth. That’s where Ericsson’s expertise comes in to play. While the world wide web has so much else to offer, like cat memes and blog posts about The Bachelor, the far more urgent need is to allow people the ability to enjoy TV time while racing through the countryside, because enjoying the natural beauty of different areas is far too boring.

You have to wonder if this increase in streaming ability, which is being driven by autonomous technology, will put the squeeze on radio even more. At the moment, many drivers still listen to some form of radio to keep them entertained while on the road, but with the temptation of television shows, that might not seem like the best option anymore.