News

Volvo Car Corporation is participating in an inductive charging project. Together with Belgian technological and development specialists Flanders' Drive and others, Volvo is developing systems and methods that need neither power sockets nor charging cables. With inductive charging, energy is transferred wirelessly to the car's battery via a charging plate buried in the road surface.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been presented as a good and cheaper alternative to new tramways in Stockholm, according to a report from the consultancy WSP. If the BRT buses are operated on biofuel or electric-hybrid then this form of transport is also as green as trams.

SAE International has released the second in its ‘Safe, Green and Connected’ trilogy of books edited by 2010 SAE International president Dr. Andrew Brown Jr., P.E., FESD, NAE. Active Safety and the Mobility Industry features 20 SAE technical papers originally published in 2009 and 2010, which showcase how the mobility industry is considering all aspects of safety in designing and producing safer vehicles. The book details the latest innovations and trends in active safety technologies and driver distraction

Kinkisharyo International, a supplier of low-floor, light-rail vehicles in North America, has undertaken a demonstration in Dallas, Texas, for officials and invited guests of the AmeriTram, the company’s prototype of the 100 per cent low-floor, electro-hybrid streetcar specifically designed for North America.

Innovative fast-charging systems for electric vehicles are now being supplied to Norway. The country is buying the high speed charging technology from Epyon, a Belgian supplier. Norwegian firm Lysi Energi is purchasing the commercial charging stations for electric vehicles in a bid to build a nationwide network. Epyon recently installed a Terra 51 Charge Station in Sandnes, near the E39 highway to Stavanger, and plans installations at least at two more locations in the next two months.

TagMaster, together with its Chinese distributor Richor and FTRD, a technology supplier to the rail industry in China, have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) which covers the joint development of an RFID system for use on mainline railways in China. The RFID system will form part of a new onboard warning system which will be used to improve train safety when passing temporary speed limits and work sections along the line.

According to a recent report from Pike Research, the trend toward cleaner transit buses will continue over the next several years, and by 2015 the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that alternative fuel vehicles will represent more than 50 per cent of the 64,000 total transit buses that will be delivered worldwide during that year, up from 28 per cent of total bus deliveries in 2010.

Nedap AVI has won a Best Innovation Product award in the Access Control and Visitor Management systems category at the 16th Moscow International Protection, Security & Fire Safety exhibition for its uPass Reach long-range RFID reader. Using the latest in UHF technology, the uPass Reach reader guarantees long range vehicle identification up to four metres. Based on the use of battery free, passive UHF transponders, the reader output allows the access control or parking system to open the gate when authorised

Germany-headquartered INIT has announced the signing of a contract with California’s Gold Coast Transit (GCT) to provide an advanced scheduling solution (Mobile-Plan) for its fixed-route fleet. The software solution is already in operation in numerous projects around the world and will assist GCT in realising a more efficient schedule planning and resources allocation.

Spanish IT firm, Eptisa TI, has developed a new computer which will allow the Spanish regional government for Aragon and road concession companies to maintain control of their road network and manage possible incidents. The system, based on ESRI’s Geographic Information System (GIS), will allow companies to manage eight sectors which contain some 2,400 km of roads which are the responsibility of the Aragon government. The new system is part of the RED Project, which is budgeted at over US$949 million for

TagMaster has announced the installation of automatic vehicle identification for access control in Conakry Harbour, West Africa. The installation is being handled by TagMaster’s systems integrator, ETL Security of Conakry West Africa.

TagMaster has announced the installation of automatic vehicle identification for access control in Conakry Harbour, West Africa. The installation is being handled by TagMaster’s systems integrator, ETL Security of Conakry West Africa.

The authorities in China claim that tough new laws against drink driving are already having a major benefit for road safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. The latest official statistics reveal a sharp drop in road accidents caused by drink driving over a recent long holiday weekend. The newly amended law imposes harsher punishments on drunk drivers, with police also taking a tough line on enforcement.