Volvo, Epic Games Partner to Build Advanced Visualization Tech

Volvo Cars announced a collaboration with Epic Games to use its Unreal Engine game engine. The automaker will introduce “photorealistic” visualization technology to offer high-quality graphics inside the cabin of the next generation of Volvo EVs.

"To offer our customers the best possible user experience and contribute to a safe and personal drive, we need rich, immersive and responsive visualization inside our cars. Running Unreal Engine in our cars enables this and makes it even more enjoyable to spend time inside a Volvo," said Henrik Green, Chief Product Officer, Volvo Cars.

Epic Games is the US-based video game and software developer responsible for Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular games. Epic’s Unreal Engine is considered to be the most advanced real-time 3D creation tool for several industries beyond video gaming. Volvo Cars will use this engine to develop digital interfaces and render real-time graphics inside its vehicles.

Volvo Cars will become the first EU automaker to use the Unreal Engine for development of the Human Machine Interface (HMI). Initially, the work will focus on the Driver Information Module (DIM), a display inside the cabin that provides drivers with relevant information and infotainment features. In the next generation of Volvo cars, “customers will encounter impressive, high-quality graphics on those displays. Much sharper renderings, richer colors and brand-new 3D animations are only the first steps as Volvo Cars developers continue to push the graphic envelope,” the automaker said in a statement.

Volvo Cars’ next generation infotainment system will be more than twice as fast as the current one. In addition, graphics generation and processing inside the cabin will be ten times faster. “When you bring interactive, high-resolution graphics running in real-time into the car, you open the door to a vast range of new ways to inform and entertain everyone inside,” said Heiko Wenczel, Director of Automotive and HMI for Unreal Engine, Epic Games.

The first vehicle to contain the new graphics will be Volvo Cars’ new, all-electric flagship model, to be announced later in 2022.

Volvo Cars continues betting on EVs, connectivity and digitalization. Earlier this year, the automaker signed a chip deal with tech giant Qualcomm to improve its in-vehicle entertainment systems, as reported by MBN. Electrification plays an essential role within Volvo Cars, including the Mexican market, said Raymundo Cavazos, Managing Director, Volvo Cars México, during Mexico Automotive Summit 2022: “We are preparing for electrification. By 2030, 100 percent of our global sales will be of EVs. This is not part of the strategy; it is the strategy.”