Location Based Systems

A new study by the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds, commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) finds that better coordination and connectivity between vehicles and infrastructure is likely to improve energy efficiency, as well as potentially make road transport safer and quicker. The LowCVP says that the combination of connectivity, automation plus shared vehicle ownership and use has the potential to m

As part of the Planet M initiative, the US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have partnered to test connected vehicle applications on the I-69 freeway in Lapeer County, Michigan. WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff is part of the MDOT team leading the infrastructure deployments. The test involved the installation of six road side units (RSU) at different locations to create a vehicle communications system. The system evalu

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla autonomous car in Florida. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, the 40-year-old driver was killed when his 2015 Model S drove under the trailer of an 18-wheel truck. In a blog post on the crash, which happened in early May, Tesla said “the vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to t

Juniper Research has found that smart traffic management and smart parking initiatives, will save some 4.2 billion man-hours annually by 2021 - equivalent to each city driver saving nearly an entire working day per year. Juniper found that while the ‘smart city’ remains a relatively young concept, many cities are beginning to recognise the need to improve in terms of competitiveness and quality of life. Increasing urban populations are creating pressure on city resources, driving the need for new and eff

Following successful discussions with international automotive and mapping companies in Europe, the US and Asia, Here has now submitted the design for Sensoris, a universal data format, to Ertico-ITS Europe, which has agreed to continue it as an Innovation Platform to evolve it into a standardised interface specification for use broadly across the automotive industry. To date, 11 major automotive and supplier companies have already joined the Sensoris Innovation Platform now under the coordination of Ert

Canadian solid-state advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) LiDAR specialist LeddarTech has unveiled key insights about its LeddarCore IC roadmap, which aims to enable low-cost, high-performance solid-state LiDARs for multiple automotive safety applications, from ADAS to autonomous driving. LeddarTech has two LeddarCore IC programs are in progress: the LC-A2, targeting the automation layers 1 to 3, with the first samples scheduled for the second half of 2017, and the LC-A3, which will meet the specifi

US wireless solutions provider Intuicom, in conjunction with its distributor Twincrest Technologies, is to provide the wireless traffic communications for the City of Austin’s Traffic Signal Expansion Initiative, replacing the city’s old fibre system. The system utilises Intuicom’s BroadBand Solutions (BBS) radios, augmented by the company’s EB-6 PLUS high-speed wireless transceivers providing Ethernet connectivity where line of sight is an issue. The combination ensures that the Austin Transportation De

Dutch company NXP Semiconductors is to supply the winner of the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Smart City Challenge with its smart city technology, including real-time vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems and secure public transportation smart cards. Columbus, Ohio’s winning proposal for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (D.O.T.) Smart City Challenge. NXP, through its partnership with the USDOT, is working with winning city Columbus, Ohio, to help de

Carmaker PSA Group and TomTom Telematics are to make the TomTom Webfleet fleet management solution available for all connected Peugeot, Citroën, and DS fleet vehicles. As of next quarter, the service will become accessible in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Webfleet helps fleet managers to save fuel as well as localise vehicle positions and improve car maintenance planning. Within the collaboration between PSA Group and TomTom Telematics, the platform will use the data sent by the manufactur

US-based provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT connectivity products and services Digi International has supplied its Digi ConnectCore 6 (Digi CC6) system-on-module to drive Ecotive's Range Extended Electric (REE) Metrocab taxi – said to be the only zero-emissions-capable black cab currently operating in London. The taxi's core powertrain and infotainment systems, which have been developed by Frazer-Nash Research, use the Digi CC6 to drive the Metrocab's entire driver instrumentation and passenger