Connected cars, meet the smarter city.
Audi is offering drivers a glimpse of what can happen when vehicles communicate with traffic infrastructure. Executives with the German car brand said Monday they are introducing a feature on select 2017 models that will inform drivers when traffic signals will turn from red to green.
When motorists are waiting at a traffic light, information displayed in the vehicle?s instrument cluster?and, in some cases, on the head-up display?will count down the time remaining until a signal turns. The feature will be available on the 2017 Audi Q7, A4, and Allroad starting this fall.
It works via an onboard LTE data connection that receives real-time information from servers managed by Traffic Technology Services, a private company. TTS partners with government agencies and private vendors that work under contract for municipalities to harness signal data at select locations around the country.
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These improvements could lead to better overall efficiency and shorter commuting times.
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Audi?s traffic-light information system is one of the first features available to mainstream drivers that uses vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology. Many industry executives believe V2I eventually will deliver real-time information on road conditions, traffic flow, and more. Audi says the new system is the first step in exploring the potential of V2I technology and is likely to be a springboard toward more ambitious uses.
?In the future, we could envision th...