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According to the IDTechEx report, Electric Vehicle Forecasts, Trends and Opportunities 2015-2025, to benchmark new technology for electric vehicles it is vital to look at all of the off-road, on-road, water and airborne e-vehicles analysed in. For example, electric cars will have at least six types of energy harvesting variously converting ultra violet, infrared, visible light, vibration, vertical, lateral and forward movement into electricity but also heat differences. However, none of these first appear i

International Road (IRD) has announced strong results for the three months and year ended 30 November 2014, with net earnings up 50 per cent for the year and revenue up US$1.2 million for the year on solid growth in key geographic markets and product segments. The company also reported fourth quarter gross margin percentage increases on profit gains in Latin American markets and a stable financial position with positive working capital of US$7.7 million.

Western Australia’s transportation agency, Main Roads, has prepared a report, Automated vehicles: Are we ready?, that highlights the implications of the introduction and wider use of automated vehicles (AVs), or driverless cars on Western Australian roads. The report says that AV technology is developing so rapidly that these cars may be seen on the Western Australia road network sooner than expected, fundamentally changing the transport network. Driverless trucks have been operating in some Western Austra

The US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced $2.571 million in grants to expand the use of real-time travel information in 13 highly congested urban areas across ten states. Known as integrated corridor management, or ICM, the grants will help selected cities or regions combine numerous information technologies and real-time travel information from highway, rail and transit operations. Such tools can help engineers make better decisions about congestion managemen

Q-Free has been awarded five new contracts by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration for its AutoPass roadside tolling systems. The contracts, at an estimated value of US$6.8 million, are for projects located in Bodø, Harstad, Svinesund, Helgeland and Tresfjord in Norway. The delivery comprises installation of charging points, including gantries and roadside equipment, together with service and maintenance after the completion of the installation. The contract also includes option for extension of the se

TransCore has expanded its presence in the Middle East with a contract worth US$100 million to provide the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) of Saudi Arabia with an advanced traffic management system to improve the flow of traffic for the seven million people living in Riyadh. TransCore will deploy its TransSuite software solution to manage traffic signal operations at 350 of the city’s busiest intersections. The system automatically adjusts traffic signal timing in response to real-time traffic conditio

Launched in 2012, the European Commission's Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) Award aims to encourage local authorities across Europe to adopt and develop their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). It also recognises outstanding achievements in each year’s SUMP chosen priority area. Seventeen applications from ten EU countries were submitted for the 2014 awards and the finalists announced as: Bremen (Germany); Dresden (Germany); and Ghent (Belgium). European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bul

Aéroports de Paris (AdP) has completed its road simulation model of the airport area of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The hybrid model has been built using Aimsun traffic modelling software, and comprises a large-area mesoscopic model dotted with pockets of simultaneous microscopic simulation wherever more detail is necessary. Aéroports de Paris commissioned the project as part of the “Airport City” concept, with CDVIA as the main provider. The model of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport covers over 240 kil

At the end of his four-day Grow America tour, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a proposed rule to increase oversight responsibilities of State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) by replacing the existing outdated regulatory framework with one designed to better evaluate the effectiveness of a rail transit agency’s system safety program. The proposed rule, issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), would give states more resources to increase oversight over rail transit systems. It

Fast charging of electric vehicles (EVs) in Denmark is about to become easier thanks to over US$1.1 million of funding from the EU's TEN-T Programme, which is funding a pilot project upgrading the existing charging stations in Denmark to common European standards. This will allow different types of electric vehicles from all over Europe to travel freely in Denmark and will serve as best practice to other European countries. The pilot project will transform 40 of Denmark’s 46 existing charging stations into

Speed cameras across Avon and Somerset in the UK are beginning to be switched back on for the first time since 2011, marking the beginning of a road safety project that will see a total of 29 static cameras become operational again. They were switched off when Government funding was withdrawn for the joint local authority and police Safety Camera Partnership. The cameras will be switched back on in a phased programme, exact dates yet to be confirmed, over the coming weeks and months. Revenue raised from the

The world’s ageing population requires more attention to be paid to the needs of older, and sometimes not that old, drivers – particularly when it comes to lighting. For instance the minimum amount of light a person needs to see doubles every decade after they are 25, so a 75-year old may need 32 times the illumination level as somebody a third of their age. It would seem logical that street lighting and car designers would consider their work from other road users’ point of view but empirical evidence appe

A number of Dutch provinces and municipalities are investigating whether ‘rapid’ cycling is a feasible transport option for commuters. The authorities in the Drenthe and Groningen provinces and the municipalities of Groningen, Haren, Assen and Tynaarlo are investigating whether a 30 kilometre route between Assen and Groningen can be adapted to encourage motorists to switch to bicycles. Several innovative options, such as sensors, alternative power generation and asphalt that glows in the dark, are being con

International Transport Forum’s (ITF) Transport Outlook 2015, presented in January 2015 at the OECD headquarters in Paris, France, examines the development of global transport volumes and related CO2 emissions and health impacts through to 2050. It examines factors that can affect supply and demand for transport services and focuses on scenarios illustrating potential upper and lower pathways, discussing their relevance to policy making. It presents an overview of long-run scenarios for the development of g

The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) has backed the proposal by US Representative Candice Miller to authorise the use of existing surface transportation funding to invest in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies that improve highway safety. Introducing the proposal earlier in February, Miller said, “V2I and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technologies are undoubtedly the future of automotive safety. However, we need to make sure state and federal highway safety initiatives keep pace and allow for t

A number of Dutch provinces and municipalities are investigating whether ‘rapid’ cycling is a feasible transport option for commuters. The authorities in the Drenthe and Groningen provinces and the municipalities of Groningen, Haren, Assen and Tynaarlo are investigating whether a 30 kilometre route between Assen and Groningen can be adapted to encourage motorists to switch to bicycles. Several innovative options, such as sensors, alternative power generation and asphalt that glows in the dark, are being con

A consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation; Hitachi, The Kinki Sharyo and Thales has received a Letter of Conditional Acceptance from the Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) for a systems package for the Doha Metro, the first metro system to be constructed in the State of Qatar. It is said to be one of the world’s largest projects for a single metro system. Construction is scheduled for completion by October 2019. Qatar Rail is the owner and manager of Qatar’s rail network and respo

The city of Sorocaba in Brazil's São Paulo state has called for bids to develop a 35 kilometre bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the city budgeted at US$47 million, according to a local government tender notice. The contract, which involves building, maintaining and operating the BRT along the city's north-south and east-west corridors for 20 years, is expected to benefit some 150,000-180,000 passengers. Studies for the project have been carried out by the Consor-Ellenco and KPMG-Proficenter consortiums. Ac

The US Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety and Road Safe America have filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requesting that the agency initiate rulemaking to require forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking (F-CAM) systems on all new large trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or more. F-CAM technology uses radar and sensors to first alert the driver and then t

The EU's TEN-T Programme is to provide almost US$4 million for preparatory studies for a cross-border train and bus service linking Belfast in Northern Ireland to the rest of UK and neighbouring countries. The service will also integrate other transport modes and ensure a connection to Belfast’s Central Business District. The studies will identify how best to deliver a fully integrated service with amenities other transport users (taxis, cyclists, private cars, pedestrians) and a seamless connection to the