Photo: Volvo
In March of 2019, Volvo announced The E.V.A. Initiative: a program where the automaker would take a huge step towards its ideal of Equal Vehicles for All (E.V.A.) by sharing all of its safety research on a free digital library. The driving force behind the movement is that automakers should unite behind the idea that driver safety doesn’t need to be brand-specific. A safer road for one is a safer road for all.
Just a few days ago, Volvo was named as an honoree in Fast Company magazine’s 2019 Innovation by Design Awards for Project E.V.A., under the Timeless Design category.
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The Innovation by Design Awards were founded by Fast Company to recognize progressive projects that meet at the crossroads of business, innovation, and design. Other 2019 honorees include 483 services, projects, and products from well-known brands and companies like Microsoft, Mastercard, and Nike.
To properly prepare nominations for the awards, editors from Fast Company spend a full year doing extensive research and vetting applicants. One feature that stood out in their consideration was that Volvo’s vehicles are designed to offer equal safety to people of all shapes, sizes, and genders. Lotta Jakobsson, professor and senior technical specialist at Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said “… our cars are developed with the aim to protect all people, regardless of gender, height, shape or weight, beyond the ‘average person’ represented by crash test dummies.”
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Given that people aren’t all cut from the same mold (the literal crash test dummy mold, in this case), it’s encouraging to see a company share real, diverse data to keep everyone — not just their customers — safer on the road.
The printed version of the October issue of Fast Company will be available beginning September 17, 2019.
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