News

An expanded US bike share scheme in Boston will replace the city’s Hubway system and offer residents in four municipalities a free ride day on 18 May. The launch stems from a six-year agreement between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Metro Boston public bike share system. The Blue Bikes will be available to cyclists in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville. For a limited period, riders will be able to save $15 on an annual membership and have the option to purchase a single ride far

Provider of video synopsis solutions BriefCam is expecting to deliver stronger solutions and serve its global clients more effectively through an acquisition placed by digital imaging company Canon. Canon says that the transaction will help them deliver a broader range of cameras, video management software and video content analysis.

Electric vehicle (EV) firm Poterra has released three high-power charging options which it claims will make a completely electric bus fleet in North America more achievable. The new products are intended to be compatible with J1772 CCS plug-in, as well as J3105 inverted and roof-mounted overhead charging systems. The company says the systems are capable of bi-directional, vehicle-to-grid power flow.

Auto manufacturer Jaguar will make 50 of its fully-electric I-Pace vehicles available to passengers travelling to and from London’s Heathrow airport this summer. The agreement, which is part of Heathrow’s commitment to improving air quality around the airport, includes travel services company WeKnowGroup.

Self-driving car company Drive.ai is to introduce an on-demand transportation service in the City of Frisco, Texas, from July. The six-month programme is intended to offer rides to over 10,000 people within a geofenced area comprising retail, entertainment and office space. Initially, the route will include pickup and drop-off locations around Hall Park and The Star. An extension is planned to follow into the Frisco Station.

Transport design firm STV has been chosen as lead designer for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA’s) $1.3bn Green Line Light Rail Extension (GLX). MBTA expects the 4.3 mile expanded route to reduce up to 26,000 regional daily vehicle miles travelled, improving air quality and reducing congestion. Once completed, the increased line will provide commuters in Cambridge, Somerville and Medford with journeys to downtown Boston. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the se

Italian industrial solutions company Nidec ASI has launched a charger which it claims can recharge electric vehicles up to 80% of their capacity in under 15 minutes. The company says that its Ultra Fast Charger (UFC) will provide drivers with 500km travel and minimise the impact on the electricity grid.

Bus manufacturer New Flyer of America will deploy ten Xcelsior hydrogen fuel cell electric, heavy-duty transit buses to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). The order is intended to expand zero-emission public transportation across California. The forty-foot vehicles will operate in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana and Westminster. New Flyer and OCTA are partners in the Fuel Cell Electric Bus Commercialization Consortium project, which aims to establish these vehicles as an industry

Kapsch TrafficCom is celebrating after a landmark patent decision went in its favour. The US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has agreed with the company that Neology cannot patent technologies in its 6C switchable tolling tag. The tag uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at highway toll zones, and is manually activated and deactivated using a switch device. The PTAB agreed with Kapsch’s arguments that Neology’s claims for its product were “unpatentable and invalid”. The decision reinf

European telematics provider Microlise has appointed Luke Olsen as director of sales for the Asia Pacific region to help grow its customer base in the region. Olsen was previously head of business development at TomTom where he developed partnerships with original equipment manufacturers, system integrators and re-sellers to the transport and logistics sectors. Additionally, he has spent over 15 years working in the telematics and technology sectors in Australia and New Zealand.

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