Vehicle to Infrastructure — The Audi is launching a technology that will make some of their models to communicate with traffic lights, in the United States . The equipment that goes inside the car, and that was named “Traffic light information” , will be officially presented in 2017, and will be available for the entire line Q7 and A4 . The automaker confirmed that all models produced after June this year, within the Q7 and A4 line are already equipped with technology.
Through technology “V-to-I” (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Technology) , or “automobile structure” in a direct translation, these vehicles They will be able to exchange information in real time with the central traffic . When the “Traffic Light Information” start working, who are on board some of these vehicles will display a countdown on the dashboard that will point when, exactly, a red light will turn green.
The system uses the same line of reasoning, a countdown timer to alert you when a traffic light is about to close . This allows the driver or a autonomous car, has time to stop and even to optimize the driving style to save fuel.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) Communications for Safety is the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and roadway infrastructure, intended primarily to avoid motor vehicle crashes.
V2I communications for safety is a key research program of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) program within the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).
Audi of America will begin to roll out the new Traffic light information as part of its suite of Audi connect PRIME services later this fall in select smart cities and metropolitan areas across the country through 2017 and beyond. The feature is available on 2017 Audi Q7, A4 and A4 allroad models built after JUNE 1st, 2016.
Traffic light information is the latest in a line of pioneering connected car innovations by Audi. In 2010, Audi was the first manufacturer to offer a broadband enabled vehicle. Since then, Audi connect has continued to expanded on its industry-leading services and capabilities. In 2014, Audi was the first manufacture to offer 4G/LTE Broadband connectivity. Strategic partnerships and a proprietary scalable infotainment architecture has allowed Audi to continuously offer our customers the latest in mobile connectivity solutions.
The Traffic light information technology is merely the first feature for Audi’s V2I integration. “In the future, we could envision this technology integrated into vehicle navigation, start/stop functionality and can even be used to help improve traffic flow in municipalities. These improvements could lead to better overall efficiency and shorter commuting times,” says Pom Malhotra, General Manager of Connected Vehicles at Audi.
Source: Reuters
