Audi Brings Traffic Light Tech To 600 Intersections In Washington D.C.

More than 600 intersections in the District of Columbia now feature “smart city” tech, allowing the traffic signal network to connect with Audi’s Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) system.

Specifically, the intersections now support the “time-to-green” feature of Audi’s Traffic Light Information system, which is available on select 2017 and 2018 models.

“This initiative represents the kind of innovation that is critical for us to advance the traffic safety goals of Vision Zero,” stated Mayor Muriel Bowster. “We look forward to building on this, and similar partnerships, as we continue to build a safer, stronger, and smarter D.C.”

Meanwhile, Audi of America president Scott Keogh said that V2I technologies like Traffic Light Information “help reduce driver stress” and are also essential developments within the industry.

As an Audi connect PRIME feature, Time-to-Green works by receiving real-time signals from traffic management systems that monitor traffic lights via the car’s on-board 4G LTE data connection. When the light is red, this TLI feature will tell the driver how much longer he or she will need to wait until the signal changes to green.

This can happen via the car’s instrument cluster, or even in the head-up display, if the model features one.

In the future, more advanced iterations of V2I technology could work together with the vehicle’s start/stop function, offer optimized navigation routing and more, with the goal of reducing congestion and enhancing mobility.