News

US engineering company Ansys has bought virtual prototyping firm Optis to develop a solution for simulating autonomous vehicles (AVs) to improve safety and accelerate their deployment. Under the agreement, Optis' optical sensor and closed-loop, real-time simulation will be integrated into Ansys' multiphysics portfolio to help remove the miles of road needed for road testing. The combination of these technologies is intended to allow automotive manufacturers to simulate the environments which driverless

Telematics provider Vehicle Tracking Solutions (VTS) has launched its Silent Passenger Apple iOS app to help streamline the fleet management process. The company says that the platform enables users to update routes in real time, view the locations of their vehicles, monitor driver safety and fuel use - and keep track of vehicle maintenance. The app can be accessed from both Android and Apple devices. The main features include Enhanced Route playback with Google Street View, which allows users to replay

Ballard Power Systems will deploy 40 FCveloCity-HD fuel cell modules to power buses as part of the Joint Initiative for Hydrogen Across Europe (JIVE) funding programme. The transaction stems from an order placed by bus manufacturer Van Hool in Belgium. Initial shipments of the modules are expected later this year. Van Hool plans to deploy 30 buses in Germany with the Regionalverkehr Köln transit agency in Cologne, and the remaining ten buses with WSW Mobil in Wuppertal. The JIVE projects are intended to

Automotive fuel retailer SpeedyQ Markets has chosen sustainability company GreenPrint to launch a programme to help offset tailpipe emissions in East Michigan. Called Drive, the project is intended to allow residents and visitors to decrease their impact on the environment when they refuel at any SpeedyQ locations. GreenPrint’s plan intends to enable a reduction of emissions at all grades at the pump through certified carbon investment projects such as renewable energy development and tree planting. The

Communauto will launch a free-floating car sharing project in Toronto this summer. The car share provider claims the service will offer aggressive pricing and low-emission vehicles. The pilot will also allow residents who do not own a car to access on-street residential parking across the city with shared vehicles. The project will allow up to four different companies to provide services with a maximum of 500 cars each. In addition, the permits offer access to all residential parking zones across the

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District’s (TriMet’s) Hop Fastpass system by Init is now fully operational in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan area. TriMet, Portland Streetcar and public transit agency C-Tran passengers can use the virtual smart card within Google Pay to purchase their fares. The option to use Google Pay has been enabled through a collaboration between TriMet, Init and urban mobility company Moovel. Riders can now tap Android devices with the virtual card to 1,200 Init

An investment from Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Westly Group has completed smart parking technology firm Cleverciti Systems' $15m funding round, supporting the latter’s development of smart city environments. Westly Group is a utility, energy and sustainability company – which means the partnership will provide Cleverciti with access to international utility companies whose utility poles are intended to become future data hubs for smart cities. Thomas Hohenacker, Cleverciti founder and

Lucid Vision will expand its Power over Ethernet (PoE) camera range with Phoenix models that feature 0.4 MP Sony Pregius IMX287 and the 1.6 MP IMX273 global shutter complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor sensors, running at 291 fps and 77 fps, respectively. The company says that the Phoenix camera has a transformable design that can be configured to meet a range of original equipment manufacturer applications. The board layout can be tri-folded into a stacked camera which can also be unfolded into a 10

Parkeon and Cale, which have merged to create Flowbird Urban Intelligence, will showcase a range of parking and associated technologies at Pakex. The event takes place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, UK, on 13-14 June. At the exhibition, a module called Park & Breathe will be on display that can be placed in a cloud-enabled terminal to create an environmental monitoring capability. The solution also allows the terminal to take payment. In addition, the company will show how the check-in, check-out

Electric vehicles (EVs) which operate without making any sound pose a threat to the safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs), says UK company SteerSafe. The firm adds that the European Union’s plan to make original equipment manufacturers add low-speed alerting sounders to all EVs in 2019 is too late as current models and buses are already in service.

The US city of Atlanta is the latest major urban area to consider how integrated on-demand transportation services could help ease congestion and reduce pollution – and boost the regional economy. The subject will top the agenda at next week’s conference on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) which takes place on May 9 and 10 in the city. The conference, called MaaS Market - Concept to Delivery, has attracted leading international experts from Europe and across the US and is supported by the City of Atlan

US equipment provider Idex Fire & Safety has launched a connected vehicle platform to help first responders working in fire and emergency medical services carry out safer and more efficient operations. Captium, built on the Microsoft Azure Government cloud platform, is intended to allow responders to share key data and via a web and mobile dashboard, offering secure over-the-air updates. Jeff Zook, marketing manager for connected solutions at Idex, says: “Real-time access to the health of networked

Technology provider Aptiv will launch 30 autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Las Vegas to pick up riders using Lyft's app and network from 3 May. Passengers will be able to travel in a self-driving vehicle to high-demand locations. Kevin Clark, Aptiv president and chief executive officer, says: "With Aptiv's autonomous driving technology deployed throughout Las Vegas and broadly accessible through the Lyft app, a wide range of consumers will be able to share the experience of autonomous vehicles in a complex

Technology company Optibus has launched its artificial intelligence optimisation solution to help transit operators reduce delays and provide an improved service for passengers. Called On Time, the platform's proprietary algorithms analyse data created during daily transit operations and help transit operators determine issues that impact a timely service – such as rush hour traffic, driver behaviour and vehicle type. The system collects and analyses historical operational data from GPS systems and other

Connected mobility services provider Intelematics has signed a four-year partnership with Gewi to support the latest upgrade to Intelematics’ SUNA digital traffic channel. GEWI’s TIC3 software will be deployed on SUNA. The service broadcasts to all Australian state capitals and major regional cities, as well as to New Zealand, providing data on traffic congestion and incidents. “TIC3 enables us to have greater visibility on data and provides us with the tools to give customers accurate and timely inform