Nobody likes to wait for a traffic light to turn green while driving.
Fortunately, Audi has been working on an answer to this problem using technology it calls traffic light information system (TLI).
When an Audi equipped with the TLI system drives on a road, the car unloads Real-time updates on the status of upcoming traffic lights, provided by the traffic control centers of the participating locations.
The car then uses its GPS to know where the vehicle is concerning these devices at any given time. If a connected traffic light is on the car’s immediate route, the vehicle’s instrument panel will transmit information to the driver.
However, sometimes a red light is unavoidable. The system can also recognize it and will inform the driver of the imminent stop. In this case, starts to show a countdown over time until the traffic light turns green again, eliminating the uncertainty of waiting.
Audi shares the anonymous telematics data it collects from its vehicles. This provides the agency with data on how often connected vehicles stop at a red light and how long they remain stationary, which can help pinpoint problematic sections of the road.
Audi first introduced cutting-edge traffic light technology in its cars in 2016. At the time, service was limited to Portland, Oregon, and Las Vegas. And to further complicate deployment, many local traffic agencies were still not equipped with the compatible infrastructure needed to provide this data to Audi.
But as Internet-connected devices became more common, entities began to modernize their traffic networks. TLI’s coverage area has grown.
The service has expanded and the total number of connected traffic lights exceeds 22,000 in the United States, Canada, and Europe.