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Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

arstechnica.com

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Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#51

Post by ken »

In the past 2 years, Volvo discontinued all engines with more than 4 cylinders [1], announced that all future cars would be HEV or EV [2], then declared that the current ICEs would not be developed further.

Other car companies make a few innovative models, but (apart from Tesla) I don't know any other companies which have made sweeping statements about every model they'll ever make. I think Volvo has the strongest brand today, in the sense that I know what they stand for. They've come a long way from "boxy but good".

[1]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/volvo-xc60-moves-to-al... [2]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340510/volvo-electrifyi... [3]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18725989/driving-on-e-cur...

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#52

Post by saagarjha »

r00fus wrote: post #10
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #3

Is there any particular reasoning as to that value? If we assume major highway limits of 70 mph and add an excessive 20-30 mph for passing, that's still a ton of extra lethal kinetic energy. edit: Apparently even the Autobahn has a recommended speed of 80 mph (I'm aware you can go faster, but then why have a limit at all?)

I mean, I get by with an EV limited to 88mph (not sure if that's a in-joke or what). It gets to 88 really fast, but can't go faster. Probably saves me a ton of battery and I still cruise or lead on the left lane. 112 is 25% faster, way more lethal. I'm guessing it's 112mi*1.6km/mi = 180kph.

> an EV limited to 88mph

Which one?

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#53

Post by larkeith »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #3

Is there any particular reasoning as to that value? If we assume major highway limits of 70 mph and add an excessive 20-30 mph for passing, that's still a ton of extra lethal kinetic energy. edit: Apparently even the Autobahn has a recommended speed of 80 mph (I'm aware you can go faster, but then why have a limit at all?)

I suspect they decided that 180 kph is the sweet spot of "still significantly more survivable than higher speeds" and "won't prompt much consumer outrage". Though I'm sure there will still be no lack of people raging about Volvo impeding their freedom.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#54

Post by subway »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #24
zamadatix wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Fit's estimated top speed is 115. Applying logic to the problem I'd say it goes to 140 because it probably supports switching to km/h mode (e.g. if you need to drive through Canada) and 140 km/h = ~85 mph which as you say is probably the reasonable limit to take the vehicle

Most speedometers have a second ruler specifying the km/h speed. It would add a lot of unneeded complexity to change the speedometer's movement rate depending on mph vs. km/h: It's a lot easier to just use a different guideline on the existing dashboard.

The secondary ruler is clearly just that -- secondary. The text and markings are often smaller.

It's likely way easier to flip a switch on the spedometer, then swap out the faceplate than you think.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#55

Post by mshook »

presscast wrote: post #34
dethswatch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've never had a track day... This whole page is filled with "Doesn't apply to me, so go for it", which seems like a really bad rationale to apply to hundreds of millions of people, potentially.

Honest question: can you remove speed limiters on "track day"?

Some cars use their GPS to enable that yes. I think the Nissan GT-R does that.

It's from 2007: https://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/22/nissan-gt-r-recognizes-t...

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#56

Post by [deleted] »

tracker1 wrote: post #14
chasingthewind wrote: post #5

There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves…

I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100, though the max is 201. I'm not sure I'd be bothered by a regulator for the top speed. That said, I don't think speeding is even close to the number 1 killer these days... Cell phones seem to be the leading cause of accidents these days. Maybe they should detect motion over 5mph and turn off display of messaging apps, only bluetooth…

[deleted]

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#57

Post by mrguyorama »

subway wrote: post #54
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most speedometers have a second ruler specifying the km/h speed. It would add a lot of unneeded complexity to change the speedometer's movement rate depending on mph vs. km/h: It's a lot easier to just use a different guideline on the existing dashboard.

The secondary ruler is clearly just that -- secondary. The text and markings are often smaller. It's likely way easier to flip a switch on the spedometer, then swap out the faceplate than you think.

If you are switching out the faceplate, then it doesn't make sense for the MPH faceplate to go to 140

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#58

Post by mrguyorama »

ken wrote: post #22
retube wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! It's a standard dial they stick in all models / engines

Which Honda goes 140 mph? As the article points out, Japanese domestic cars have been limited to 112 mph for years. High performance cars like the NSX and Type R trims go far faster than that.

Without the speed limiter, I'd guesstimate that any Civic or Accord could brush up against 140 mph. 2.0L 4cyl engines make surprising power nowadays

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#59

Post by ilikepi »

LyndsySimon wrote: post #43
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #3

Is there any particular reasoning as to that value? If we assume major highway limits of 70 mph and add an excessive 20-30 mph for passing, that's still a ton of extra lethal kinetic energy. edit: Apparently even the Autobahn has a recommended speed of 80 mph (I'm aware you can go faster, but then why have a limit at all?)

As I mentioned in another comment, tires with an "S" speed rating go to 112 MPH, while tires with an "H" rating go to 130 MPH. I'm guessing they either downgraded the factory tires or were concerned about lawsuits from owners who installed aftermarket "S" rated tires.

Yeah, I had the same guess. I'll bet their current higher performance models come with fancy Pirellis or something equivalent, and this is a way to reduce cost.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#60

Post by mshook »

ken wrote: post #23
SurrealSoul wrote: post #12

Pretty cool, by establishing a top speed standard they could run reliable crash tests for the absolute worst case that the car could experience. Looking forward to the future of "No matter how you drive this car, it won't kill you"

People die every day in car crashes at far slower speeds than that. There's no way to guarantee a car crash won't kill you, even at normal highway speeds.

Plus if speed was really THE main factor, highways would be terribly dangerous. Or they're usually the safest when it comes to accident statistics.

So speed is not the main issue but it's a nice tool when you're a politician or you want to communicate.

For the Autobahn, wiki says:

In 2014, autobahns carried 31% of motorized road traffic while accounting for 11% of Germany's traffic deaths. The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads.

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