Volvo Wants You To Netflix And Chill During Your Commute

The Swedish automaker is betting that passengers will want to stream TV shows and movies in their self-driving cars.

Volvo has unveiled binge-worthy new technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that would enable you to stream NetFlix while your self-driving car whisks you to work. 

The famously safe Swedish automaker’s new tech will automatically match the duration of your drive to your preferred NetFlix programming. The car will know long you’ll be driving, your route before departure, and the relative signal strength of the cellular data network during the trip.

Using its computerized super brain power, the car will choose content that will be over about the time you get there. And it will use the network to cram video into a cache, so that when you hit a dead zone in cell coverage, the programming will continue to play. Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson has partnered with Volvo to develop this capability.

“Imagine a highway full of autonomous cars with their occupants sitting back watching their favorite TV shows in high definition,” said Anders Tylman, general manager of Volvo’s Monitoring & Concept Center. “This new way of commuting will demand new technology, and a much broader bandwidth to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.”

“If you want to watch the latest episode of your favourite series, the car will know how long the journey needs to take and can optimize the route and driving control accordingly. With autonomous drive it is no longer just a question of just getting from A to B quickly – it’s about the experience you wish to have in the car – how you wish to spend the time you are saving. 

“With our future autonomous drive technology we will provide people with the freedom to choose the way they would like to commute and the content they would like to experience,” Tylman said.

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