Products

Flowbird Urban Intelligence has launched terminal-based digital technology to enable local authorities to levy variable surcharges on vehicles that exceed set levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). The digital system is loaded onto Flowbird’s solar-powered terminals and is expected to help authorities encourage people to switch to lower carbon vehicles and use public transport in congested areas. Flowbird says the system can generate a separate fee for higher polluting cars at the time of parking via data linke

Google is improving its SOS alerts by adding visual information about natural disasters and a navigation system on Google Maps. Google says the upgrade will extend the capabilities of the SOS alerts to provide crisis information via relevant news stories and Twitter updates from local authorities to include detailed visualisations about hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. In the days leading up to a hurricane, users will receive a crisis notification card on Google Maps warning them if they are in its p

Rekor Systems is to launch a camera recognition solution which it says is designed to read the vehicle make, model, number plate, colour and body type. The Rekor Edge solution comes with an accuracy rate exceeding 99% and is suitable for parking and law enforcement, the company adds. Rod Hillman, chief operating officer of Rekor, says: “With Rekor Edge, we’re democratising vehicle recognition solutions by bringing a cost-efficient and user-friendly solution to potential markets.” According to Rekor, the

Perfect Data has launched a ride-hailing app across the UK which it says will provide local authorities with a map of all vehicles operating in their areas. Darren Tenney, founder of Perfect Data, says Xooox [pronounced ‘Zooks’] will allow regulators to see what’s happening at street level. “At last they will have the power to take action against unlicensed, banned or out of jurisdiction drivers,” he continues. “This will not only help keep passengers safe, it will help protect the income of the hundred

The future of mobility…sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But try to define it and you soon find it’s like putting a fence round a cloud. What will it look like? When will we get there? Who decides? And why are we still not wearing jetpacks? Maybe next year. The Royal College of Art in London does not seem like the most obvious place to look for hard-headed thinking on these things. But it has a long heritage in designing beautiful cars – and it is also home to the Intelligent Mobility Design Centre, which is lo

ADN Mobile Solutions has developed Bled, a technical solution which – in conjunction with bespoke training and gamification tools – is designed to help bus drivers improve their driving efficiency. The goal is to reduce public transit emissions and provide cost savings, monitoring the way that vehicles are driven, and picking up on activities such as sharp braking or acceleration, giving personalised recommendations based on driving context. Electronic and mechanical data from buses is analysed and pres

ChargeWheel has secured $1 million in funding to launch a mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the San Francisco Bay Area. The network will be based on ChargeWheel’s mobile Energy Trailers, which don’t require a connection to the grid, and can therefore operate in any car park. The company says they offer a combined solar-powered generation and energy storage solution, and plans to deploy 100 in the Bay Area by the end of 2019. The units can simultaneously charge four EVs or up to 400 elec

EVgo has deployed Autocharge technology in North America in a bid to allow customers to charge electric vehicles (EVs) without using apps or credit cards. Autocharge instantly recognises the EV and begins charging automatically, the company says. It is being launched on EVgo’s dedicated Maven Gig network – which offers rental cars for drivers who need a car to work for ride-share and delivery services. The technology will be rolled out across the US by the end of 2019 to all EVgo account holders with

Bolt, the ride-share company which was formerly called Taxify, has launched electric kick scooters in central Madrid. The firm piloted the vehicles in Paris last year – making it the first to combine scooter-sharing and ride-hailing together in one mobile app, Bolt claims. “Beating the traffic is a big issue in cities like Madrid and a lot of trips are much more efficiently covered with an electric scooter rather than a car with a driver,” says Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder of Bolt. He says t

Flowbird has deployed touchscreen terminals at three park and ride sites in the UK city of Durham, allowing users to pay for multiple tickets in a single transaction. The company says its Cale Web Terminal Touch product, installed by scheme operator NSL, is reducing queues at Belmont, Howlands Farm and Sniperley sites. The terminals, installed by scheme operator NSL, allow users to pay via coin, credit/debit card as well as Apple Pay and the Android equivalent. The system’s back office allows users to in

Connected vehicle company Geotab has announced the availability of GeoTach by Evestel on its Marketplace to help fleets remotely manage driver and vehicle tachograph data. A vehicle’s tachograph automatically records speed, distance travelled and driver activity. Developed by technology company Evestel, the solution provides a remote data downloading system for European Tachographs which integrates with Geotab’s telematics solution. Geotab says this integration allows fleets to host intelligence from

Antaira Technologies has launched its ARS-7231-AC series, an industrial dual radio wireless unit with router capabilities, which it says can be used in ITS and traffic applications. The solution, embedded with the QualcommAtheros QCA9892 chipset, is expected to offer a wide network coverage with a low-voltage input of 9V and support. According to Antaira, the device can be used as an access point, transparent bridge or repeater. These units allow users to position the wireless antennas in a better s

PayTollo is launching its mobile payment platform for toll roads and bridges in the US states of California, Texas, Florida, Colorado and Washington. The company says the platform reduces costs and the time needed for toll authorities to collect funds by removing the need for paper invoices. According to PayTollo, the solution’s GPS toll recognition technology algorithm and user interface can notify, verify and charge a driver for toll crossings. Alternatively, drivers can also use the tolling sol

Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions has released a software development kit (SDK) for polarised camera modules which it says cuts machine vision application design time and costs. Stephane Clauss, senior business development manager Europe at Sony, says the company has worked with customers to identify key functions for the XPL-SDKW and develop optimised algorithms. “Depending on the dev team and application, a standard polarised-camera application would typically take between six to 24 months,” he co

Aimsun has released a software platform for the large-scale design and validation of path-planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles (AVs). The company says Aimsun Auto allows test vehicles to drive inside digital cities - virtual copies of transportation networks, where users can safely explore the limits of AV technology. Paolo Rinelli, global head of product management at Aimsun, says Auto removes the need to drive around seeking conditions that users want to test or to “script each actor’s behaviou