Volvo Partners With Epic Games To Use Unreal Engine 5 Technology In Its Electric Cars

Volvo, The Swedish Car Manufacturer, Announced A Partnership With Epic Games, Developer Of Games Such As Fortnite, To Use The Unreal Engine Graphic Engine In Its Electric Cars.

The Swedish car manufacturer Volvo announced on Wednesday (01) that it will use Epic Games’ graphic engine, Unreal Engine 5, to develop a next-generation Human Machine Interface (HMI). The goal is to offer realistic graphics for the company’s electric car models. Volvo stated that Epic will assist in the development of a platform where the company’s engineers can create software to improve the interaction between drivers and HMI displays in vehicles, allowing the driver to interact with the car’s functions and also observe the routes.

Partnership Between Volvo And Epic Games

According to Thomas Stovicek, head of user experience at Volvo, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 will give Volvo the ability to develop high-quality responsive visuals where it will be possible to process and transmit data, as well as develop realistic representations when necessary. Stovicek states that the project is about developing the next generation of HMI for the company’s consumers.

Volvo plans to use Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to render what the external sensors of electric cars, such as radars and cameras, are seeing outside. With Unreal Engine, the car manufacturer hopes to provide a greater amount of information to the driver, thereby enhancing the experience of driving a Volvo, as well as improving the safety of electric cars without overwhelming the driver with too much information.

Stovicek also emphasizes that for Volvo, it is essential to ensure that the driver has a safe experience behind the wheel.

Technology Created Using Unreal Engine Can Connect To All Systems

The new operating system that will accompany the display will function as a “umbrella” system capable of integrating all other systems operating in electric cars, including Blackberry QNX, Linux, Android Automotive OS, and AUTOSAR. The architecture of the manufacturer’s new system will feature a core with two Nvidia SoCs.

No information has yet been released regarding when or which electric car launches will arrive on the market with the new Unreal Engine 5 technology from Epic Games, but nonetheless, Epic Games is the first gaming company to partner with a company in the vehicle sector, and the studio has been increasingly dedicated to expanding its solutions beyond pure entertainment.

According to the head of Epic Games’ Detroit lab, Heiko Wenczel, from an HMI perspective and what game features can do for the experience of passengers and drivers, the latest electric car hardware has made this movement much more appealing.

Other Projects Using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine

Although it is the first with a European vehicle company, this is not the first partnership Epic Games has made: Unreal Engine 5 will also be used for virtual reality training by NASA.

The graphic engine will be used to develop a digital environment based on real data from the planet Mars. The goal is to assist future space explorers, teaching essential tasks for missions such as living, working, and building on another planet.

It is important to note that Epic Games has also announced a partnership with GMC, a vehicle manufacturer from the United States. The partnership aims to develop an HMI software for the company’s new electric Hummer.