Volvo Launches World's First External Car-Enveloping Airbag Technology

A year after Volvo launched its Pedestrian Airbag Technology on the Volvo V40, Volvo has announced its new External Vehicle Protection (EnVeloP) system.

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A year after Volvo launched its Pedestrian Airbag Technology on the Volvo V40, Volvo has announced its new External Vehicle Protection (EnVeloP) system.

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The External Vehicle Protection system consists of a small container built in the roof of the car, which contains a folded-in, vacuum pulled balloon of similar material to existing airbags. In case of an unavoidable collision, whether it is with another car, a roadside object or even when coming into contact with surface water, the balloon unfolds within the blink of an eye around the car. By completely enveloping the car, the External Vehicle Protection system ensures that damage and personal injury as a result of the collision is minimized.

“For years, we have been looking at how to increase safety in our vehicles, and the airbag has played a central role in that journey,” says Thomas Broberg, Senior Technical Adviser Safety at the Volvo Cars Safety Center.

“This new safety feature is the embodiment of the Volvo brand philosophy, Designed Around You. All we did was taking a very literal approach to Designed Around You. Instead of finding new areas inside the car where we could add more airbag-like safety systems, we asked ourselves: why not cover the complete car in an airbag-like solution?”

The External Vehicle Protection system is still in a testing phase, but Volvo is investigating whether the system can be fitted in future Volvos.