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Vietnamese information technology company FPT Software has partnered with Yamaha Motor and urban developer Ecopark to self-driving electric vehicles (EVs). The partners say they are seeking to accelerate the adoption of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies and bring smart public transport to Vietnam. Hoang Nam Tien, FPT’s chairman, says: “We hope this collaboration would bring us to the day where autonomous cars using our technologies could travel across urban areas, luxury resorts, factories and warehous

Toyota Motor, Denso and the Softbank Vision Fund (SVF) will invest $1billion in Uber Advanced Technologies to accelerate the development of automated ride-sharing services. Under the current terms, Toyota and Denso will invest $667 million and SVF will put in $33m. Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, says: “The development of automated driving technology will transform transportation as we know it, making our streets safer and our cities more livable.”

Union Tank Eckstein (UTA) has introduced UTA One in Germany as part of its stated aim to provide a single toll solution for Europe. The company says UTA One allows transport firms to pay toll fees with one single invoice and offers single trip reporting, including an analysis of the covered toll routes of individual heavy goods vehicles. Currently, UTA One supports the toll systems in Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The solution is to be extended to include Czech Republic,

Alarm has been expressed by MPs over the UK government’s decision to allow Chinese firm Huawei to work on the UK’s 5G network. Prime minister Theresa May has banned Huawei from supplying ‘core’ parts of the country’s 5G infrastructure – but is believed to have given the green light for it to help deliver what are being called ‘non-core’ parts. As well as being for mobile phones, 5G is the technology which will be used to improve connectivity of autonomous vehicles and traffic controls. However, there ar

Karhoo has partnered with Carey to allow users to book executive chauffeured services across London including to all airports in the UK capital. The deal is set to expand Karhoo’s current offering of around 25,000 taxis and cars which are operating in London. Sandy Miller, CEO of Carey, says users can now access the company’s service on the Karhoo platform in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The partners plan to expand the integration to incorporate Carey's network in more than 1,000 cities worldwide.

ADN Mobile Solutions has developed Bled, a technical solution which – in conjunction with bespoke training and gamification tools – is designed to help bus drivers improve their driving efficiency. The goal is to reduce public transit emissions and provide cost savings, monitoring the way that vehicles are driven, and picking up on activities such as sharp braking or acceleration, giving personalised recommendations based on driving context. Electronic and mechanical data from buses is analysed and presente

EVgo has deployed Autocharge technology in North America in a bid to allow customers to charge electric vehicles (EVs) without using apps or credit cards. Autocharge instantly recognises the EV and begins charging automatically, the company says. It is being launched on EVgo’s dedicated Maven Gig network – which offers rental cars for drivers who need a car to work for ride-share and delivery services. The technology will be rolled out across the US by the end of 2019 to all EVgo account holders with a

The government of Canada says it is to invest CAN$300 million over three years in zero-emission vehicles. Marc Garneau, minister of transport, says: “The Government of Canada is working to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles to help make it easier for Canadians to be part of the solution to climate change and to reduce their daily driving costs.” The federal purchase incentive is part of this year’s budget and applies to vehicles that are purchased or leased on, or after, 1 May. To be eli

Masabi has partnered with tour bus operator Prestige to launch a ticketing app for a sightseeing bus service operating in Rome, Italy. Masabi says the Enjoy Bus Rome app allows riders to buy a ticket on their phone and discover Rome’s art, architecture and history. The app includes the full range of fares ranging from daily to 72 passes for adults and children. It is available in English but will soon be launched in Italian, Spanish and Japanese. The service uses Masabi’s Justride ticketing plat

AMG Systems has launched Mini media converters which it says are designed to protect transport cameras from extreme temperatures. The Mini media converters can be installed in confined spaces provide by camera poles and street cabinets and can operate in temperatures between -40 to 70 degrees Centigrade, the company adds. According to AMG, the converters provide a 100Mbps or Gigabit Ethernet uplink across fibre via the SFP port, providing a cost-effective means of converting IP signals for transport

The US state of New Hampshire has selected Opus subsidiary Gordon-Darby to implement and operate the State Motor Vehicle Inspection Management System. The five-year contract covers the state’s emissions and safety training programme which tests approximately 1.3 million vehicles a year and includes an automated on-board diagnostic inspection and electronic recording of all safety inspection requirements. The contract will be effective in January 2020 and allows for one additional two-year extension.

Plug’n Drive has launched a programme which offers CAN$1,000 off the purchase of a used electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (EV) for drivers in Ontario, Canada. Cara Clairman, president and CEO of Plug’n Drive, a non-profit organisation, says: "Used EVs are affordable and available, and this incentive will help more people join the EV revolution." The programme was realised through a collaboration with environmental organisation Clean Air Partnership and local business M.H Brigham Foundation.

Connected car company Zubie has partnered with technology start-up CarAdvise to launch a programme designed to give small and mid-sized fleets a way to manage fleet maintenance. Zubie says its Smart Maintenance programme will allow fleets to utilise a network of 20,000 services facilities, delivering average savings of 26%. Zubie will provide fleet managers with a digital solution to detect and identify vehicle problems, then pay for vehicle service and repair. Fleet owners will have access to reporting

Almost a quarter (24%) of British people would be willing to fund smart city solutions using their own tax contributions, according to new research from ATG Access. Part of road barrier specialist ATG’s ‘Smart cities: Turning the dream into a reality’ report, the research found that more than half (57%) would be happy for their tax to go towards smart traffic lights, and 44% for smarter signs which give real-time traffic updates. Nearly a quarter (24%) said they would also be willing to fund smart barrie

International Road Dynamics (IRD) is to design and install 20 lanes of Weigh in Motion (WiM) covering six sites on arterial roads around Kiev, Ukraine. The $6.4 million project is seeking to provide a modular system comprised of software, hardware and communication infrastructure for the State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine. The WIM back-office system will collect real-time traffic data and support the enforcement of overweight and over-dimension vehicles as well as those which may be in violatio

Mobile network O2 will provide its 5G network to support connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) tests at Millbrook proving ground in the UK county of Bedfordshire. O2 says the low latency and high capacity of 5G allow vehicles to transmit large amounts of data, including 4K video, to intelligent cloud-based transport systems, which are expected to improve road safety and help traffic authorities to monitor and manage traffic flow. From June, O2 will enable 5G connectivity to Millbrook facilities us

Connected transportation company Geotab is to acquire BSM Technologies, a provider of telematics and asset management solutions in North America. The Geotab platform will provide BSM customers in government, service and rail with access to solutions for enhanced visibility into vehicle performance, driver habits and accident detection. Geotab says BSM’s customer relationships in the government sector have allowed municipalities and states/provinces to optimise and manage their winter road maintenance fl

Indra is working with the University of South-Eastern Norway and the Andøya Space Center to accelerate deployment of an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system for drones. Ingolv Bru, manager business development at Indra, claims an efficient transport system based on drones – including autonomous ones - could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 25%. “But a safe and efficient management system for drone traffic in urban environments is crucial to realising this ambition," Bru adds. The two-ye

Ride-hailing company Lyft has recalled 3,000 electric bikes from cities in the US because of concerns over their braking systems. The brands affected are Citi Bike in New York, Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC, and the Bay Area’s Ford GoBike. A similar statement on each company’s website says: “We recently received a small number of reports from riders who experienced stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel. Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively removing the pedal-assi

Volkswagen Research is testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) at SAE Level 4 in real driving conditions in the German city of Hamburg. The announcement comes as the fall-out from VW’s ‘Dieselgate’ nightmare – when the company was found to have programmed turbocharged direct injection diesel engines to activate their emissions controls for laboratory tests - putters on. This week the company’s former chief executive Martin Winterkorn was charged with fraud for his involvement. But VW has admitted that the scan