Kapsch acquires eTrans to strengthen C/AV portfolio
Kapsch TrafficCom has acquired eTrans Systems, a Virginia-based provider of connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) solutions.
Alexander Lewald, chief technology officer at Kapsch, says eTrans’ knowledge of embedded, mobile and Internet of Things technologies will improve the company’s offerings in the C/AV field.
Kapsch will integrate eTrans’ on-board and roadside unit applications into its portfolio. These applications support Vehicle to Vehicle, Vehicle to Infrastructure and Vehicle to Pedestrian
Heliox delivers charging infrastructure for e-buses in Czech Republic
Heliox has delivered a fast-charging network for electric buses operating in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in a bid to reduce emissions.
The deployment supports the country’s stated ambition to gradually phasing out diesel-powered buses.
Heliox’s OC 450 kW chargers are expected to provide Ekova Electric’s e-buses with ‘opportunity charging’, which allows batteries to be charged several times during the work cycle (usually eight hours).
The company says the system utilises a pantograph to begin chargin
ComfortDelGro to test autonomous shuttle in Singapore traffic
ComfortDelGro will trial an autonomous shuttle bus in real traffic conditions at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge Campus from March 2019.
Parsons creates senior role to oversee transportation management products
Technology company Parsons has created a new role of chief development officer, with a focus on transportation. Mike Johnson, previously president of Parsons Infrastructure, will oversee sales of the company’s transportation management system, Intelligent NETworks (iNET).
Johnson has been with Parsons for 28 years, and led the creation of the company’s connected cities solutions, Platforms as a Service. He is a member of the Energy Security Leadership Council and SAFE’s Autonomous Vehicles Task Force. In t
Eberle Design receives global road achievement award in Las Vegas
Eberle Design’s iCite Data Aggregator received an International Road Federation Global Road Achievement Award at the Road2Tunnel Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.
Eberle says the solution accesses real-time intersection and arterial traffic data for traffic cabinets via high-speed internal and external communication devices regardless of the traffic controller or central traffic management system.
Conduent to provide tolling system to ease congestion in Los Angeles
Conduent Transportation is to modernise the tolling system on ExpressLanes in Los Angeles County to help reduce congestion and improve safety along the I-10 and I-110 corridors.
The eight-year contract is an extension to a six-year partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LA Metro).
The scope of the project includes the installation of overhead scanners and automatic vehicle identification equipment which corresponds with the FasTrak transponders installed on commuter vehicles.
Drivers ‘could make £500 a month’ via peer-to-peer car rental, says Turo
UK drivers could earn £500 a month by making their idle vehicle available to renters on Turo’s peer-to-peer car-sharing service, the company says.
Turo carried out a poll of 2,000 UK motorists which revealed the average Brit spends under nine hours a week behind the wheel.
UK drivers also leave their car unused for three days each week, the company adds.
Xavier Collins, Turo’s UK director, says many drivers spend a small fortune on cars but never realise their full potential.
“For the vast majority of
Saber develops skid analysis software to measure road safety
Saber, a UK highway condition and inventory specialist, has developed skid analysis software to help reduce the risk of road traffic accidents.
SkidAnalyser, part of a suite of software tools for managing highway survey data, is cloud-based and analyses information collected by Saber’s road safety vehicles. These measure levels of skid resistance in wet conditions.
The company says the idea is to make raw data from surveys available within days of collection – and this can in turn alert highway auth
Allied Vision shows off embedded products at Vision 2018
Allied Vision unveiled its Alvium cameras earlier this week at Vision 2018 in Stuttgart. These products are expected to combine the advantages of machine vision cameras with embedded sensor modules.
The company says the cameras allow users to switch from PC-based image processing applications to embedded systems.
Alvium cameras come with functions for image correction and optimisation, a selection of current sensors and intelligent energy management.
At the Stuttgart show, the company also hosted a pres
McCain appoints Fedrico Hormozi director of ITS solutions group
McCain has appointed Fedrico Hormozi, a former senior manager for California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), director of its ITS solutions group.
The firm says Hormozi’s team will deploy equipment, and carry out hardware and software systems integration as well as troubleshooting. Also, the team will provide input on new product design, development and functionality.
During his 20-year career at Caltrans, Hormozi served in several senior management roles including chief of the ITS engineering a
Ola brings ride-sharing service to three cities in New Zealand
Indian ride-sharing firm Ola has expanded its service to three cities in New Zealand and is offering passengers 50% discounts off journeys for the first month.
The company says its app comes with safety features which will allow riders in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to share location coordinates with friends, family and emergency services.
Passengers can also be picked up from Auckland and Wellington airports.
Ola says it intends to improve the app based on customer feedback. It can be downl
RTC and Lyft offer cheaper rides for local employees at NDC in Las Vegas
The Regional Transportation Commission of South Nevada (RTC South Nevada) is offering employees at sports company Fanatics who work at the Northgate Distribution Center (NDC) cheaper rides via Lyft.
RTC South Nevada is hoping that the six-month initiative will encourage workers to use multimodal options for commuting to the logistics and distribution facility in North Las Vegas.
Fanatics was one of the first e-commerce tenants at the NDC in 2016.
As part of the six-month programme, employees wi
Call for papers open for ITS European Congress 2019
Ertico-ITS Europe is inviting mobility professionals to submit papers for next year’s ITS European Congress in the Netherlands.
The European Programme Committee wants papers for various sessions for the event in Brainport, which runs 3-6 June 2019.
Experts are also invited to share ideas and discuss mobility challenges that cities face and how they can be addressed through ITS solutions.
Draft papers should be a minimum of five pages for technical and commercial topics, and nine pages for scientif
PSC Solar to implement EV chargers in Africa
PSC Solar, the research and development subsidiary of PSC Industries, will deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers across four African nations, according to media reports.
Chargers will be installed in Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Benin in preparation for the arrival of EVs.
Patrick Owelle, CEO of the PSC Solar, says governments all over the world are starting to ban diesel and petrol engines due to climate change and pollution and that Africa must also take a position on the issue.
He says PSC’s charg
Lucid exhibits Triton cameras for industrial environments at Vision 2018
Lucid Vision Labs is showcasing it Triton cameras this week at Vision 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany. The company says the cameras come with an optional IP67 sealed lens tube which allows them to operate in harsh environments without needing bulky enclosures.
It comes with active sensor alignment to improve optical performance and a lightweight 29 x 29 mm size.
Triton’s M12 Ethernet and M8 I/O connectors provide a robust connection, which is resistant to shock and vibration and is protected from dirt, d
Cognitive Technologies launches 4D Radar for self-driving cars
Cognitive Technologies says its 4D Imaging Radar for self-driving cars carries out vertical scanning without using mechanical components and can detect objects with an accuracy over 97%.
The 4D radar is expected to detect the coordinates and speed of the road scene objects as well as their shape during all weather conditions.
According to Cognitive, the solution supports SAR (synthetic-aperture radar) technology which is used to build a map of the environment around the vehicle. This technology also
Getaround brings car-sharing service to San Diego
Getaround has expanded its peer-to-peer car-sharing service in San Diego in the US. The service allows car owners to earn money by renting vehicles to people in their neighbourhood.
The company says it expects many car owners who subscribe to the service to earn more than £1,000 per month.
Each car is equipped with Getaround Connect, a proprietary technology which allows renters to locate and unlock the vehicle by using the company’s app.
James Correa, the firm’s general manager of Southern Califor
Wrightbus showcases fuel cell electric bus in the UK
Wrightbus says its double deck bus uses fuel cell technology to deliver zero emissions while in operation. The StreetDeck fuel cell electric vehicle was displayed at the UK’s Euro Bus Expo 2018 in Birmingham.
Fuel cell technology mixes hydrogen and compressed air (oxygen) in a chemical process to generate electric power to drive.
The company says the vehicle comes with an extended storage option which increases its range from 200 to 265 miles. Also, the bus can be refuelled in seven minutes.
Stre
Transoft and Plexscape partner on 3D vehicle representation via Google Earth
Software companies Transoft Solutions and Plexscape have entered into an agreement to offer more realistic 3D vehicle representation on Google Earth.
Uber seeks to resume AV trials nearly eight months after Arizona fatality
Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a pedestrian in Arizona.
The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities.
Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The