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Smartdriverclub, the connected car service which launched last summer by entrepreneur Penny Searles from her offices in Southampton and now being rolled out across used car dealer networks across the UK and direct to motorists, aims to give motorists more control over their motoring costs. Smartdriverclub works through a plug in device under the dashboard that connects the car to Smartdriverclub and gets it talking to identify emerging technical faults, show if the driver’s been in accident so that emergenc

Local authorities in the UK could be subjected to insurance companies recovering money paid to cover claims if an autonomous vehicle crash is deemed to have been caused by road markings that were incorrect or unreadable by the vehicle. That is the view of Ben Howarth, senior policy advisor according to the Association of British Insurers. Answering questions at a Policy-UK event about proposals for insurance changes to cover connected and autonomous vehicles, Howarth said the ABI expected AVs to be used i

Brazilian aerospace company Embraer is to partner with ride-hailing company Uber to develop and implement small electric vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities (VTOLs) for short urban commutes. This preliminary partnership, the Uber Elevate Network, is a project generated by the Embraer Business Innovation Center, the company’s new initiative based in Melbourne, Florida. Embraer announced last month that it would open outposts in Silicon Valley and Boston to promote air transportation innov

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart and UK car magazine Auto Express teamed up to find out which are the deadliest behind-the-wheel distractions with programming a sat-nav found to be the worst. Auto Express consumer editor Joe Finnerty and British Formula 3 hopeful Jamie Chadwick were put to the test in a professional racing simulator at Base Performance Simulators in Banbury. They were both assessed to see how they coped with the most common distracting tasks on UK roads, while completing timed laps and bra

In light of stagnant federal funding and limited capacity for states to increase spending, toll roads will play an increasing role in addressing the funding gap for road and bridge infrastructure needs in the US, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service. Based on historical trends, Moody's projects more toll roads and increased tolling in areas with existing traffic congestion and growing economies, population and per capita income. The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card by the American Society

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded a contract to WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff to design the next phase of intelligent transportation system (ITS) deployment for the state’s University Region. The project will plan, design and construct new CCTV cameras, dynamic message signs and vehicle detection systems across the University Region to improve incident response and information dissemination to motorists on the state’s freeway system. WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff will provide ITS design ser

SiriusXM, which offers audio entertainment and data services in vehicles has acquired Automatic Labs, a San Francisco-based provider of connected vehicle services for consumers and enterprises. Automatic's Automatic Pro and Automatic Lite connected car adapters provide vehicle diagnostic alerts, emergency crash assistance, fuel monitoring, access to parking information, live vehicle location tracking and much more.

London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has presented its ranking of 35 ‘green’ cities, sponsored by smartphone chip maker Qualcomm. The report ranks 35 global cities based on their level of progress towards achieving this goal, finding that:

As part of the AECOM-led CAPRI (Connected & Autonomous POD on-Road Implementation) project, Spanish traffic modelling software specialist TSS is to provide impact assessment and assisting in the design of management strategies for the use of new autonomous and connected pods on-demand (PODs) at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. TSS will also be playing a role in the verification and validation of the POD control systems, allowing safety evaluation to be undertaken of in a safe and controlled virtu

Siemens is planning to acquire German company HaCon, which provides planning, scheduling and information systems for public transportation, mobility and logistics. Trip planning software from HaCon is used in more than 25 countries and comprises the centre piece of the travel information systems in operation at more than 100 transport companies and associations.

TagMaster, Swedish supplier of advanced RFID products and ANPR cameras for vehicle identification within traffic and rail solutions, has acquired CA Traffic from Hill & Smith Holdings for a total cash consideration of US$4 million (£3 million). Established in 1994, CA Traffic offers an array of sensor products, ITS software systems and high specification ANPR cameras in the UK. It has provided traffic monitoring devices to UK local authorities for 25 years and supplied intelligent ANPR camera systems to UK

Industrial and commercial electric vehicles will be a similar market to cars but innovating faster and frequently more profitable for all in the value chain. The most important sector is buses, where innovation often comes before cars because they are less price sensitive. A report by IDTechEx Research, Electric Buses 2017-2027, finds that the market for medium and large hybrid and pure electric buses will be over $165 billion in 2027. In this report IDTechEx show how the Chinese are now dominating the leag

ITS World Congress 2017, which takes place at the Palais des congrès in Montrèal, Quèbec, Canada, from 29 October to 2 November, aims to be the showcase for future transportation ideas and deployments. The exhibition hall will feature top industry suppliers showcasing their latest concepts, active prototypes and live system, as well as the new Smart Cities Pavilion. Visitors can see and experience the newest ITS technologies during live demonstrations on streets adjacent to the Palais des congrès in the Tec

Infrastructure services firm AECOM has secured a contract with the Welsh Government to deliver design services for the new third crossing of the Menai Strait. Under the contract, AECOM will undertake the Key Stage 2 Appraisal of options to identify and develop initial designs for a new bridge crossing that will link Anglesey with mainland Wales, with a view to identifying a preferred route. The new Menai crossing is intended to alleviate traffic on the two existing bridges over the Menai Strait. The Menai B

Automotive technology company Continental is working in partnership with French national weather service Météo-France on a project which will expand its electronic horizon, or eHorizon, for use as eHorizon.Weather to provide real-time weather information. Vehicles equipped with eHorizon.Weather supply exact weather information to optimise short-term forecasts and integrate real-time, location-specific weather data to alert drivers in advance of critical weather conditions. Continental is currently testing t