News

Soti, a specialist in mobile device management (MDM), has announced the successful implementation of its MobiControl MDM solution for JJ Food Service which is using the system to manage its entire mobile workforce of over 700 employees and 200 trucks across the UK. According to Rif Kiamil, IT manager, JJ Food Service, "While it is difficult to assign a monetary value to how MobiControl has improved our business, we fully realise that our mobile projects would not have been as successful without Soti MobiCon

French authorities have started sending fines to Belgian citizens for road traffic violations observed in France using roadside speed cameras. Foreigners account for more than 20 per cent of road traffic violations in France but up until recently there was no mechanism for taking action against them once they had returned to their home country. In June 2012, Belgium opened its car registration database to the French, Spanish and German authorities so that violators can be traced and fined.

Sophisticated vehicle technologies will derive from a new investment by a Chinese manufacturer into UK research. Car company FAW is providing Nottingham University with a US$1.57, three-year research contract. Under the terms of the agreement, Nottingham University will work with FAW on the development of a number of low carbon technologies. These will include thermal management and heat transfer, which have been identified as key challenges for both hybrid electric and pure electric vehicles as these opera

The total in-car navigation market has been in continual decline for the last three years, but ABI Research believes it has now reached its lowest ebb. While pure navigation is unlikely to reach the highs of 2008 again, the overall market is reaching a revenue plateau, creating a solid platform on which connected in-car services can bring a new generation of revenue growth. Senior analyst Patrick Connolly stated,” When we look at the decline from 2008 to 2011, there is a perfect storm of economic conditions

Harman, the global audio and infotainment group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Interchain Solution, based in Bangalore, India. The company has an array of cost-effective hardware platforms which are deployed for fleet tracking, connectivity, telematics applications and an Android-based Infotainment solution for automotive OEMs. Some of Interchain’s current customers include TeleAtlas, Aljacs Toyota, MapmyIndia and government institutions such as police and transport departments of variou

One of the largest ever field trials of car-to-X communication (C2X) is getting underway in Germany in a trial that consists of 120 vehicles that will take to the roads of the Rhine-Main region until the end of the year. Each car has a network link to the others, as well as to the traffic infrastructure, and they will keep each other updated about the current traffic situation.

Surrounded by elected officials, transportation engineers, and dignitaries, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to begin construction of the I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The project will build 29 miles (46.7kms) of express lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax County, and will connect the I-95 Express Lanes to the I-495 Express Lanes currently under construction to provide a seamless network of new lanes to reduce

Chrysler Group and Sprint have developed a new wireless in-vehicle connectivity experience for the Ram 1500 pickup and SRT Viper. The companies are evolving Uconnect to include a variety of new, easy-to-use connected features and services that are designed to help keep drivers focused on the primary driving task. Chrysler Group has enlisted the network, systems integration and consumer market expertise of Sprint in a strategic partnership designed to seamlessly integrate wireless technology into Chrysler Gr

The Italian Transport Ministry has approved two significant projects aimed at improving public transport links in Palermo, Sicily. The tram project involves the construction of three lines covering a total of 15 kilometres. Work on Line 1 began in 2007 and is scheduled to be open for testing by the end of this year. Line 2 is 30 per cent complete while Line 3, between Cep and Corso Calatafimi, will be the last to be finished.

Altair, a leading provider of simulation technology and engineering services to the world's automakers, has announced what it claims is the automotive industry's first award programme created specifically to acknowledge innovations in vehicle light-weighting, thereby improving fuel economy and performance. The inaugural Altair Enlighten Award, presented in collaboration with the Centre for Automotive Research (CAR), will recognise achievements in weight reduction across the automotive industry from motorcyc

Doha's Qatar Railways Company (QRail) has now awarded contracts for project management and construction for its Doha metro development. Three project managers have been selected and are made up of US firm Louis Berger with French Egis Rail for the Gold Line, US firm Jacobs Engineering for the Red Line and US firm Hill International for the Green Line.

Dutch electronics firm, Philips, is working with the Ministry of Industry in Spain to improve the efficiency of lighting and safety on roads. The collaboration has involved a series of pilot projects and tests on the main roads in Madrid. A kilometre of LED SpeedStar lights with CityTouch control and management systems has been installed on the M11, for example, which links Madrid with Barajas Airport. Initial results indicate that there has been a 67 per cent improvement in energy consumption as a result o

The automotive industry appears to be on the cusp of revolutionary change, which will be engendered by the advent of autonomous or ‘self-driving’ vehicles - and the timing may be sooner than you think, according to a new report unveiled by KPMG and the Centre for Automotive Research (CAR).

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 2.5 million in Q4-2011. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9 per cent, this number is expected to reach 5.7 million by 2016.

Traffex 2013, the 26th international traffic engineering, road safety, parking and highway maintenance exhibition will take place in Hall 5 at the NEC Birmingham from 16 - 18 April 2013. According to the organisers, the event is set to be one of the largest in its thirty year history, and will once again be co-located with Parkex; Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition. The combined Traffex, Parkex Exhibition will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to see over 500 exhibitors from the worl