Smart stop bar detection
The latest addition to the smartmicro range of radar traffic detectors is the combined stop bar and advance detector, which the company claims offers a range of up to 180 metres and can effectively replace loops at the stop bar and at advanced approaches.
Latest TomTom device delivers real time driving information
The soon to be launched TomTom Link 100 dongle enables a smartphone to connect to real-time vehicle and driving information, allowing third parties to create a wide range of new mobile applications that make use of vehicle information and driver usage.
Easy to install, the device logs vehicle diagnostic information, such as engine rpm, load and temperature, directly from the on-board diagnostic port. The integrated 3D accelerometer logs driving data. Link 100 also offers accident detection and crash log
Continental and IBM collaborate on connected vehicles
Continental and IBM are to collaborate on the joint development of fully-connected mobile vehicle solutions for the world’s car manufacturers.
Central to the agreement is development of a highly scalable cloud platform that will enable automotive manufacturers to deliver a range of new mobile in-car services. Software updates and vehicle control device functionality will be delivered over the internet, removing costly and inconvenient workshop visits. The companies feel the solution may equally prove be
Sparking an interest in EVs – the electric racing car
President of motorsport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Jean Todt and Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E Holdings revealed the much-anticipated new Spark-Renault SRT01E fully-electric Formula E single-seat racing car during the opening day of the 65th International Frankfurt Motor Show.
The SRT01E has been designed and built by Spark Racing Technology, together with a consortium of the leading manufacturers in motorsport, and will compete in the inaugural FIA Formula
Philippines to update transportation
The Philippines Department of Transport has allocated US$677.72 million of its US$11.1 billion 2014 budget to modernise the country’s transport system. Rail system, public transport system, infrastructure, airport and maritime projects are all in the pipeline. Plans include the development of an integrated multimodal logistics and transportation system that will benefit large cities and smaller towns and rural areas, as well as a reliable and affordable public transportation system nationwide, the establis
Fake engine sound makes EVs safer, fun to drive
Forthcoming legislation in the USA, EU and Japan will require that all electric vehicles emit an alert sound at lower speeds in an effort to prevent the increasing number of accidents where pedestrians are hit by silent electric vehicles.
eCall: Where do we go from here?
The Ertico Partnership is hosting a one-day forum in Brussels on 7 November 2013 to examine the future development of automated emergency call (eCall) and how it may be integrated into a wider telematics platform. With eCall mandated in Europe for new types of cars from October 2015, how can the broader global concept of emergency call move forward and take advantage of this in-vehicle technology?
V2V and V2I safety technology to launch at ITS world Congress
The ITS world Congress in Tokyo will see the launch of Autotalks’ vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle- to-infrastructure (V2I) safety technology. The Craton communication processor and the Pluton transceiver developed by Autotalks utilise powerful sensors capable of transmitting electronic signals between cars within a defined radius, for example 100 metres. Any vehicles fitted with the V2V technology will be able to analyse the relative speed and distances between any other vehicles within its predetermin
NNG launches PND for the Indian market
Global navigation and mapping specialist NNG continues its development automotive and personal navigation devices (PNDs) with the launch of a new PND especially designed for Indian roads. Launched in partnership with Ayana Navigation Solutions (ANS), the five-inch ANS Navigator A-501 runs on the NNG iGO primo software. The device is pre-loaded with the latest India maps and a total of over seven million points of interest (POIs). To guarantee continued reliable guidance, the unit comes with a one-year map
Ford to present latest SimTD findings to Telematics Munich
Ford Europe is to present the latest results from the SimTD project at Telematics Munich. The SimTD project tested car-to-car (C2C) and car-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication in one of the world’s largest field operational tests in Germany.
The challenges of start-stop technology
According to automotive technology supplier Dayco, the number of vehicles featuring start-stop technology will continue to rise over the next few years. The company says that it is only by incorporating such a function into a number of models in each range, that vehicle manufacturers will be able to reduce their fleet average emission levels and achieve the targets that EU legislation demands.
Dayco, in alliance with Peugeot/Citroën, has developed a starter/alternator that has an auxiliary belt system w
UK reseller for BlipTrack Bluetooth journey time technology
Danish wireless technology company Blip Systems has partnered with Smart CCTV to deliver Bluetooth and wi-fi journey time, origin and destination, traffic congestion monitoring and traffic management solutions to UK roads.
Blip Systems’ BlipTrack uses small sensors at strategic points in road networks to track Bluetooth and wi-fi enabled devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and hands-free installations in cars to measure traffic flow and calculate travel time. The ability to obtain traffic flow data
Init integrates Nottingham’s public transport systems
Init, public transport ITS and ticketing systems supplier, is working with Nottingham City Transport’s (NCT) in the UK on a US$3 million contract to supply smart ticketing, planning and duty rostering systems.
The project will provide an integrated solution that includes Init’s paper ticket printer Printmobil, which, with touch on/off smart card validator Proxmobil2, will be controlled by the existing on-board computer Copilotpc, alongside Init’s touch screen driver interface Touchit which currently fo
Federal grant to improve Nashville MTA
NASHVILLE’s Metro Transit Authority is to improve and expand the bus service into downtown Nashville, thanks to a US$10 million US Department of Transportation grant.
The US$13.8 million project includes the installation of upgraded traffic signal equipment and safety enhancements that will improve bus service and provide a more comfortable ride for transit users.
Best of ITS award for Idaho’s Vaisala road weather system
The Vaisala road weather system deployed by Idaho Transportation Department has won a "Best New Innovative Product, Service or Application for 2013" award at the 2013 National Rural ITS Conference in St Cloud, Minnesota. The award highlights new technology that furthers the development and/or deployment of rural intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications, as well as specific and measurable outcomes that result from the product or service.
The Idaho Transportation Department, using Vaisala's
Transportation committee chairman’s successful driverless car trip
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster witnessed firsthand a demonstration of driverless automobile technology, when he rode from suburban Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport in Carnegie Mellon University’s driverless vehicle.
Shuster was joined yesterday by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation secretary Barry Schoch for the thirty-mile trip in the driverless 2011 Cadillac SRX. The fully automated vehicle safely navigated the route, which included various dri
US drivers receptive to usage-based auto insurance
US drivers are predominantly open-minded to purchasing usage-based auto insurance (UBI) policies, or pay as you drive insurance, according to a new survey by professional services company Towers Watson. The survey results are a clear indication that UBI is gaining momentum in the marketplace, with more consumers willing to let insurers monitor their driving habits with a telematics device in exchange for potential savings on their car insurance.
Most (79 per cent) respondents to the UBI Consumer Survey
Jam ahead warning from TomTom
TomTom has released the latest version of TomTom Traffic which now includes an innovative ‘jam ahead warning’ feature, which pinpoints the precise location of a traffic jam and sends an early-warning alert so that drivers can safely reduce their speed.
Available automatically to all existing users, TomTom Traffic also includes new features that further improve routing accuracy. TomTom Traffic now detects road closures and road works automatically on more roads. A new ‘predictive flow feed’ can more accu
Measures announced to improve cycle safety in London
A series of recently-announced measures to improve cycle safety in London include the establishment of a new industrial heavy goods vehicle (HGV) task force to take direct action against dangerous HGV drivers, vehicles and operators, review exemptions to current HGV regulations and a call for European Union to speed up its review on the design of HGVs to increase drivers’ visibility of vulnerable road users.
In addition, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driving Standards Agency are to issue a c
Mazda develops system to avoid car-streetcar collisions
The University of Tokyo and Mazda Motor Corporation have jointly developed a system involving wireless communications technology to prevent collisions between cars and streetcars (or trams).
The system’s car-mounted sensors can detect signals from a streetcar up to 100 metres away, in contrast with the current range of just a few dozen metres for conventional sensors on cars. The new system is designed to prevent collisions between vehicles and oncoming streetcars by allowing their position and direction