Travolution enables traffic lights to talk to cars
The Travolution system suggests an optimal speed based on info from smart traffic lights.
(Credit: Audi)Waiting at traffic lights is one of the primary reasons why city mpg is so much lower than highway mpg. Automakers have attempted to address this issue with start-stop technology, but what if you could eliminate the stop altogether? The experimental "Travolution" system, developed with Audi support by traffic management experts in the brand's German hometown of Ingolstadt, aims to do just that and make long traffic light waits a thing of the past.
The system consists of a network of 46 "intelligent" traffic lights (with 50 more light installations planned) installed in the center of Ingolstadt, the software to which they are all linked optimizing their phasing to bring stopping times down to a minimum, and specially modified A5 and A6 Avant models provided by Audi. Communications modules built into each traffic light are able to send messages to cars in the vicinity, alerting them to the time remaining until their next green phase. The car's onboard system is then able to calculate the speed which the driver must maintain in order to pass through the light during this green phase, and displays this via the multimedia interface display.
Audi has supplied modified A5 and A6 Avant vehicles to test the system.
(Credit: Audi)By keeping vehicles moving, drivers not only avoid periods of zero mpg idling that so hurts their fuel economy figures, but they get to their destinations more quickly, reducing both congestion and CO2 emissions.
There are only two problems we can see with the system. The first is that it relies on drivers to actually follow the suggested speed in order to make the light. It's hard enough to get most drivers to follow the posted speed limit. However, with the incentive of higher fuel economy and quicker trips, perhaps they'll follow the computer's guidelines.
The other issue is hardware based. In order to get the optimal speed from the traffic system, vehicles must be modified to communicate with the traffic lights. But what about the millions of vehicles on the road right now that don't possess this technology? The simplest solution would be a portable device that can be carried from vehicle to vehicle. Perhaps integration with this system could be the killer app for some GPS device manufacturer.
I searched for any relationship between Apple and VW only to turn up with nothing. The historical account of the marriage has vanished, and so had my hopes.
Why are we not seeing more Tech/Auto? As the world shifts to more eco-friendly, more green trends are picking up popularity and becoming somewhat faddish. Consumers don't want their vehicles to guzzle their checkbooks away. However, we ARE America. We need to be the biggest and the best. Simply down-sizing my 5.4L v8 Expedition with 130 cubic feet of cabin space to a mediocre Camry is, well, humbling. Americans need to be big, we need to have the best. But settling for the sour after we tasted the sweet, just doesn't digest well. We have to change how we rate our vehicles. It's not about how fast you can get from zero to sixty or how many cup holders you have. The only way to rid American roads of gas guzzling SUV's and muscle cars, is to change what vehicle do for us. Change how we interact with our vehicles. We need the Auto companies to talk to the Tech companies. Shift our desire of horsepower to the desire of gigabytes. A 500 gigabyte, GPS, bluetooth, wi-fi, on board dyno, cpu, and entertainment suite with a 1.2L 100 HP electric motor Camry tastes a lot sweeter. As this market shifts, in order to appeal to new found green fad, how are we going to compensate with size and power. Well, we don't. We just move where the size and power lives. In stead of the engine, we put it in the cabin, where the consumer can actually use it. Vehicles will be rated by bandwitch and tech features and not 0-60 times and horsepower. But what can we expect from auto manufacturers?
I have a hand held touch screen device that has wi-fi, gps, multimedia storage and multiple software applications to interact with each feature and it even makes phone calls. It cost me $300. I have a portable notebook computer that tells me what time it is when I ask it. I watch streaming video, conduct a video teleconference and navigate through my 200 GB hard drive with ease. It cost me $2000. For $2300, I can do anything I need to do with 100% mobility. Why have all these capabilities not transferred to automobiles. I can buy all of this technology commercially for $2300, but it costs $2000 just get a bigger speaker package in a new vehicle. The seven segment LCD green dispay on my single disk CD player in my 2008 vehicle is not cutting. Where is the disconnect between tech companies and auto manufacturers?
Here's what I want and so should you. I want more screens in my car. They are in-expensive. The most technically advanced cars only offer 1. I want an on board CPU (at least one) to integrate all the features I'm about to list. I want GPS and wi-fi. I want blue-tooth and voice recognition. When I sit in my car at 6:38 AM, my car should tell me i'm running late. My usual start time everyday is 6:30. I want my car to recommend a route due to the current traffic condidtions in order to shave eight minutes off my morning commute. I want my car automaticly start my default NPR daily podcast. I want to answer an incoming call with out taking my phone out of my pocket. I want to view any new email that I have recieved over night. I want to be able to see that person live you I coose and they should be able to see me. I should be able to recall where I was four days ago at noon. I should be able to check my miles per gallon for the the last week. I can check real estate listings as I drive through neighborhoods. I want be able to do everything I can do with that $2300 of mobile technology and I want to do it seamlessly. All of the technology required to do this is available, and it's inexpensive. So what's the hold up?
That's what I want. Do you?
You want all that in a car?.... get an assistant.
in my city they put up big countdown timers for pedestrians to let them know when the 'walk' will change to a 'don't walk'.
i've been saying gas lights rob mpg for a long time, and if these counters were instead fixed to when the light would change and made larger to see from a distance, a driver can utalize them to know when the light would change, letting them know not waist gas trying to make a light they can't, or how slow to coast so they can make the next green light.
nothing has to be put into cars, and even someone who can't afford a fancy gizmo can benifiet.
no sensors, just a second timer.
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by TiVoJoe
September 23, 2008 12:03 PM PDT
- Don?t forget the added bonus. If you time it just right, you can smack into the guy trying to squeeze through the light as it turns from yellow to red. And don?t try to tell me this doesn?t happen in Germany. I lived there for six years
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