Audi, Volkswagen’s premium brand claims to have developed technology that will allow cars to talk, albeit to traffic lights. Termed V to I or Vehicle to Infrastructure Technology, the technology has reached production stage and will be seen in the cars that the company has manufactured after June 2016. These models will hit the retail market in the fourth quarter of 2017.
The technology uses WiFi connectivity to help the vehicles link to traffic lights. The information that is thus obtained from the traffic signal is then transferred to the system that is present inside the vehicle. It is then visible to the driver through his HUD display or an LCD display and he can see at a glance the countdown before the lights change and whether he still has time to make it through the signal before the lights change. The diplay turns off when the signal changes, thus permitting drivers to focus more on the actual driving.
Pom Malhotra, Senior Manager, connected vehicles, Audi said that motorists pass through several intersections on a daily basis, with each intersection giving rise to plenty of accumulated stress and anxiety. The new technology will allow drivers to relax instead of wondering about when they should pump up the accelerator.
Thus, Audi becomes the first brand to produce vehicles with V-to-I features. Rather than the safety aspect, the company is emphasizing the comfort and convenience the new technology will provide to motorists.
To be successfully launched, Audi has to successfully partner with the communications infrastructures as the government and transportation agencies in each city that such models are launched in.
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