News

Sumitomo Corporation of America, in conjunction with its car builder partner Nippon Sharyo, has received a contract award from Virginia Railway Express (VRE) for 50 Gallery-type Bi-level passenger cars. The base order is to supply eight cars at a contract price of $21 million and is scheduled to be delivered in 2014. This contract includes an option for VRE to purchase up to an additional 42 cars. If the option is exercised, the total contract would amount to $119 million. VRE will use the cars procured thr

UK-headquartered Clearview Traffic Group has announced the proposed merger of its Count On Us traffic survey and market research arm with Sky High, which will also see Clearview taking a significant equity stake in Sky High, with representation on the board of the merged company. Sky High is involved in the capture and analysis of traffic and transport data using video, automatic, manual and market research techniques.

Ford has upgraded its state-of-the-art Virtual Test Track Experiment simulator with improved image rendering technologies and capabilities to study driver performance, helping in the development of safety and driver aid technologies. The company says the simulator has helped in the development of heads-up displays, drowsy driver alerts and lane departure warning technology soon to be available on the all-new Ford Fusion.

OmniVision Technologies, a developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, has announced that its flagship automotive image sensors, the OV10630 and the OV10635, have both received AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualifications, meeting the high standards of quality and performance for automotive applications. Additionally, the company announced that both sensors are in volume production and will be shipping to multiple automotive customers. The two sensors are similar in functionality and performance but are integrated

TomTom has announced the availability of its MultiNet suite of map products in Esri’s file geodatabase format. Large TomTom datasets may now be consumed directly by Esri applications in a file geodatabase format that is configurable within the customer’s environment, saving time and effort for GIS professionals. The geodatabase format enables Esri users to utilise their TomTom data within multiuser access and editing environments for desktop, server and mobile environments.

TRW Automotive Holdings is developing its second generation scalable airbag control unit (ACU) designed for the growing low-cost vehicle and emerging markets. This intelligent solution allows the ACU to be adapted within a vehicle platform to offer two options – standard and enhanced – for models sold within emerging territories and also for those exported to developed markets.

Through an innovative research project across several industries, Ericsson claims it will bring mobile connectivity to electric cars and put choice and control over the charging schedule into the hands of drivers. The new architecture allows drivers to control charging of cars while they are plugged into any ordinary power outlet. Additionally, the system directs energy costs to the car owners’ bill. The driver sets the time and amount to charge on a console in the car or remotely via a smartphone or tablet

The San Francisco Bay Area’s 511 traveller information system is now offering its first smartphone app for transit users. The free 511 Transit App can be downloaded through the Android Market with a version for iPhone 4 to be released soon. The new app provides door-to-door transit trip planning and scheduled departure times for transit routes near your location or from a location you specify. It includes information for 720 routes and more than 23,700 transit stops throughout the region. An interactive, dy

GPS personal tracking devices and applications are forecast to grow with a CAGR of 40 per cent, with both markets breaking $1 billion in 2017, new research by ABI Research claims. Senior analyst Patrick Connolly says, “The hardware market remained below 100,000 units in 2011. However, it is forecast to reach 2.5 million units in 2017, with significant growth in elderly, health, and lone worker markets. Dedicated devices can offer significant benefits, with insurance and liability increasingly encouraging th

Panasonic Corporation has announced that it will supply lithium-ion battery cells for Ford Motor Company's hybrid and plug-in hybrid electricvehicles (PHEVs). The upcoming models of the Ford Fusion Hybrid Electric and C-Max Hybrid Electric as well as the Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids will use Panasonic battery cells in combination with a gasoline engine

IBM and the City of Zhenjiang, China, have announced that IBM is helping to transform the city's public transportation system. Zhenjiang will use hardware, software, services and technologies from the company’s research labs, all brought together through the IBM intelligent operations centre (IOC) for smarter cities, a solution that will serve as the central point of command for the city.

France-headquartered ASK, a specialist in mass transit contactless smart cards, has been selected by its client system integrator Sonda to deliver the contactless cards for Panama’s brand new Metrobús network. The central American city is undergoing major modernisation of its public transport system with brand new buses, Metrobús, and a brand new Metro which is currently under construction.

Navfree has announced it has reached its goal of building a 5.5 million global strong GPS navigation user base, to rival Nokia’s GPS navigation. Navmii, which launched the application two years ago, claimes it is now the number one mobile GPS navigation app in nine countries, and it is growing by 500,000 new users per month on iPhone and Android.

Trimble is partnering with Equity Red Star, a major UK insurer, to provide in-vehicle telematics technology and GeoManager driver safety solution. It will form part of Equity Red Star’s new risk and vehicle management solution, Equitrack, for the commercial motor and motor fleet sectors.

Protean Electric, a specialist in advanced in-wheel motors for the automotive industry, has been awarded 17 patents for the unique technology and design of its Protean Drive system. More than 60 additional patent applications have been filed internationally and with specific countries in North America, Europe and Asia. Protean Electric chairman and CEO Bob Purcell says his company’s in-wheel motor design is unlike conventional motors or combustion powertrains with electric motors added. "We started with a c