Audi’s Traffic Light Information technology enables a car to communicate with traffic light infrastructure in select cities across the United States. The car receives real-time signal information from advanced traffic management systems that monitor traffic lights via an onboard LTE data connection. When approaching a connected traffic light, the technology displays the time remaining until the signal changes to green in the driver instrument cluster and heads-up display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6zrRukr6W0
What Audi is calling the “time-to-green” feature will be the first to leverage the Audi Traffic Light Information service. The company said it may be possible to integrate information from advanced traffic management systems into vehicle start/stop features, navigation systems to optimize routing, and predictive services like presenting the driver with a speed recommendation designed to maximize the number of green lights one can make in sequence.
Support for Traffic Light Information is beginning this month in Las Vegas, and will be available to customers with select Audi A4, Q7 and A4 Allroad models equipped with an active Audi connect Prime subscription. Expansion to additional cities across the country is said to be ongoing as the company works with municipalities to prepare their infrastructure for V2I connectivity.
“The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is proud to be the first in the nation to connect our traffic signal network to vehicles through our collaboration with Audi,” said Tina Quigley, GM at the RTC. “This vehicle-to-infrastructure technology will help reduce congestion and enhance mobility on our already crowded roadways.”
Audi believes its car-to-infrastructure technology will eventually be adopted by competing auto manufacturers, and hopes smart cities will be able to use the technology to better understand traffic patterns and adapt traffic signal behavior to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.
