A new customer portal which will allow operators and owners to access Volvo Bus services in one place. Together with services for workshop efficiency, Volvo’s customers will have a new set of tools to increase uptime and productivity and improve safety.
Volvo has launched its new Volvo Connect service, which gathers all operator services together in a user-friendly portal. With a single login and from a concise dashboard, the new offering aims to allow fleet managers to monitor performance, review fuel and energy efficiency and plan service and maintenance.
”By gathering services and information in a single portal we make it easier for our customers to improve on uptime, productivity and safety,” said Dan Pettersson, Senior Vice President at Volvo Buses.
Volvo Connect includes fundamental services such as reports, real-time vehicle status, driving profiles, a line-up of workshop services and also offers Zone Management geo-fencing, where the operator can limit speed in designated zones or only allow electric mode for hybrids. Alerts, notifications, reports, position and historical events can be found in the office or off-site on mobile devices.
Volvo said that the software is future-proof and designed to evolve. New services and new functionality will be added continuously and integration with operators’ existing infrastructure is an important part. “We are convinced that joint development, with customers and with third-party developers, is the way forward,” said Dan.
Anna Westerberg, President of Volvo Buses, concluded: “Launching Volvo Connect is an important strategic move. It’s a move towards closer and smarter customer interaction and partnerships.”
A ‘dashboard’ allows operators to control what they see and where. Faults can be viewed instantly when a red or yellow alert is displayed in a vehicle’s instrument cluster, and general operational data, fuel and energy consumption as well as environmental performance are available in standard reports.
Zone Management geo-fencing, allows operators to specify safety zones, where a vehicle’s speed is limited to a preset value within a defined area, or for part of a route, or where a hybrid will operate in electric-only mode.
Volvo’s I-Coaching can also support drivers with immediate feedback by monitoring driving data such as speed, acceleration, braking and more, with instant feedback to the driver as a warning if set values are exceeded.
Volvo Buses is encouraging and supporting customers and third-party suppliers to develop services using Volvo vehicle data, via its developer portal which provides access to various tools, and its API Manager which facilitates the use of vehicle data from Volvo in other systems in a standardised format.