New car feature helps motorists catch green lights

No need to wait for the light to turn green.

Audi launched a feature that will help provide drivers with real-time speed recommendations and assist them in catching most green traffic lights and minimise stops at red lights. The luxury automaker launched its Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory (GLOSA) system in the US that works by suggesting the optimal driving speed to allow drivers to pass traffic lights during a green interval.
The system uses traffic signal information and the current position of a vehicle, distance to stop, speed limit profile for the area, and signal timing plans, to calculate the real-time speed recommendation to the driver. Moreover, it is said to also reduce driver stress, according to a FutureCar report.
The GLOSA system is compatible with select 2017 and newer Audi models that have the "time to green" Traffic Light Information (TLI) option. When these Audi models approach a connected traffic light, it receives signal information from the traffic management system that monitors lights via the vehicle's on-board 4G LTE data connection.
When the light is red, the TLI feature will display the time remaining until the signal changes to green in the instrument cluster in front of the driver or in the optional heads-up display (HUD). "Audi is committed to moving America in many ways, including through the development of industry-leading connectivity and mobility solutions," said Mark Del Rosso, Audi of America president.
"Not only do vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies like GLOSA benefit drivers today, they're also the critical steps needed as we continue toward an automated future," he further added. Survey data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that the average American driver spends nearly 300 hours a year behind the wheel, the equivalent to seven 40-hour weeks at the office. Hence, green light optimized speed advisories can help reduce anxiety.
Audi launched its TLI system in 2016 in collaboration with Traffic Technology Services that enables the car to communicate with the infrastructure in certain cities and metropolitan areas across the US. Today, over 4,700 intersections support both the "time-to-green" and GLOSA functionalities.
Future versions of the V2I technology is likely to include integration with a vehicle's start/stop function, enabling the engine to turn off at red lights and turn on automatically when the signal light turns green.