Skip to main content

Ford trials technology to help drivers ‘ride the green wave’

Ford is currently trialling technology which aims to reduce time spent waiting at a red light. Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory uses information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to display to the driver the best speed to travel at to get a green light. The tests are part of the UK Autodrive self-driving and connected car trial, a 16-member, publicly funded US$24 million (£20 million) project which is developing and trialling vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure technologies tha
October 24, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
278 Ford is currently trialling technology which aims to reduce time spent waiting at a red light. Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory uses information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to display to the driver the best speed to travel at to get a green light.

The tests are part of the UK Autodrive self-driving and connected car trial, a 16-member, publicly funded US$24 million (£20 million) project which is developing and trialling vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure technologies that could make driving less stressful and time-consuming, and improve fuel efficiency.

The Mondeo Hybrid cars provided by Ford are also trialling Emergency Electronic Brake Lights, which warn when a vehicle up ahead suddenly brakes hard, even if the incident occurs out of sight, up to a distance of 500 metres.  

Technologies that will be trialled next year also warn drivers when another vehicle is blocking the junction ahead; when an ambulance, police car or fire truck is approaching; and prioritises vehicles arriving at intersections without traffic signs or traffic lights.

Trials are taking place on both public roads and closed circuits in Milton Keynes and Coventry during the next two years.

Related Content

  • October 24, 2012
    Toyota trials Next Generation Vehicle Infrastructure Co-operation Service
    Toyota is trialling a new driver information system which, if successful, could start to appear in Japanese cities around 2015. Trials started in March this year. The Next Generation Vehicle Infrastructure Co-operation Service consists of sensors mounted on city streets that communicate with vehicles by radio. Vehicles would require an onboard unit to receive the data. The information is particularly designed to help drivers in crowded urban streets whose visibility is obscured by large vehicles such as
  • May 16, 2022
    Commsignia stops AVs behaving badly
    Cybersecurity concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles create uncertainty but Commsignia has set out to win trust by combating ‘misbehaviour’ attacks, finds Ben Spencer
  • October 28, 2016
    New solutions for catching texting drivers
    Many countries have laws prohibiting texting while driving but enforcement is proving difficult – David Crawford looks at some new approaches being tried by authorities. Finding definitive solutions – technological, regulatory and educational - to the potentially lethal practice of people driving while using mobile phones is proving elusive, while the stakes grow higher.
  • June 10, 2024
    Safeguarding cities against wrong-way drivers
    Thermal imaging and artificial intelligence analytics provide the best path towards preventing deadly auto accidents, explains Stefaan Pinck of Flir