News

ITS America has announced a call for entries for the “2012 Outstanding State Chapter Awards,” presented to highlight and recognise the most outstanding 2011 accomplishments of ITS State Chapters throughout the country. This year’s awards programme incorporates three divisions of chapters based on size. Two awards will be given in each division for Outstanding State Chapter and Membership Growth. California, Florida, Georgia, Gulf Region, Heartland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas make up Division 1. Di

Schrader, a manufacturer of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), has announced that the company’s innovative EZ-sensor technology now covers more than 82 per cent of all TPMS-equipped vehicles in North America.

UK company TAAP has announced that its signature capture applications will now be available on Windows Phone and iPhone devices as well as other devices with capacitive screens. Many existing devices have an integral stylus so that signatures can be captured, however, newer devices with capacitive screens have proved more difficult for producing an acceptable signature, because of the way they use finger control. Now that more suitable styluses are being released, TAAP is able to offer its existing ‘field s

In an Australian first, free wireless internet technology will be rolled out on all new Queensland Rail city trains from later this year. The announcement follows a successful Wi-Fi trial and the Queensland government will now spend AU$6.5 million (US$6.98 million) installing the technology in new trains. "The trial has been a huge success, the technology has been installed and is now fully operational on the test-train with customers able to sit, back and take advantage of the free internet on their journe

In the latest step forward in the collaboration of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler, Nissan's Decherd, Tennessee plant will build Mercedes-Benz 4-cylinder engines for Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz starting in 2014, with installed capacity of 250,000 units per year once full ramp-up is achieved.

US company Progressive Insurance has received a fourth patent for system technologies used with its optional pay-as-you-drive insurance programme, a usage-based form of car insurance. U.S. Patent No. 8,090,598 relates, in part, to producing a driver safety score based on monitored driving data. Progressive’s usage-based insurance (UBI) scheme, Snapshot, is available in 39 US states and the District of Columbia. It creates a personalised car insurance discount based on customers’ driving habits.

SK Innovation and Continental Corporation have announced their intention to team up for powering electric vehicles worldwide. A joint venture is to be formed through which both companies want to develop, manufacture and market Lithium Ion battery systems for automotive applications. SK Innovation and Continental will have 51% and 49% of ownership respectively. The initial JV operations will be based in Germany and Korea; and the management team will be comprised of executives from both companies. The busine

Metric, together with US partner MobileNow, a leading provider of pay by cell parking services, has introduced what is being claimed as the first commercial parking payment service which allows a barcode printed on a ticket to be remotely scanned for the parking session to be extended.

TSS-Transport Simulation Systems, the developer of Aimsun and Aimsun Online traffic simulation software, is to open a new office in Sydney, Australia. Opening in early 2012, the office is located in Sydney's central Market Street and will be managed by TSS's consulting director, Dr Alexandre Torday, who has been the chief liaison for several Aimsun modelling efforts in the region.

Activu Corporation, a leading provider of IP-based visualisation and collaboration solutions for mission-critical command and control centre environments, is now an approved video display control system listed on Florida Department of Transportation’s Approved Product List (APL). The company’s solution was approved after successful evaluation against the rigorous and comprehensive requirements of FDoT specification 782-2.2.2 for Video Display Control Systems, and after meeting all compatibility requirements

APT SkiData has completed the installation of equipment that will manage and control parking for over 1,000 additional vehicles at London’s Gatwick Airport following the construction of a new short stay car park at its North Terminal.

Iteris has received an order for US$706,000 from Comet Electric to provide video detection systems and related communication equipment for the Omnitrans sbX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The Vantage video detection systems will cover a 22.25km corridor across San Bernardino and Loma Linda, California. The multi-agency sbX project is the beginning of an intermodal public transit system in California’s San Bernardino Valley that aims to reduce vehicle congestion and provide the public with a cost effective

Hughes Telematics has signed an agreement with Volkswagen Group of America, (VWGoA) to deliver Volkswagen connected vehicle services beginning in 2013 that will bring to market a comprehensive suite of connected services for safety and security, convenience, and diagnostics, while offering drivers a new level of service and accessibility.