New Audis Will Be Able To Talk To Traffic Lights

According to the company's press release, Audi of America will begin to roll out the new Traffic light information as part of its suite of Audi connect PRIME services later this fall in select smart cities and metropolitan areas across the country through 2017 and beyond.

The traffic light information system is the first step in vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) integration. However, the company didn't disclose which cities would be first to see the technology in action.

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Nevertheless, the feature will be available this fall on select 2017 Audi Q7, A4 and A4 all-road models built after June 1, 2016.

A traffic light information enabled vehicle "receives real-time signal information from the advanced traffic management system that monitors traffic lights," according to the press release. "The link between vehicle and infrastructure is routed via the on-board LTE data connection and Traffic Technology Services, Inc. servers."

"While waiting at a connected traffic light, the driver information system in the instrument cluster, as well as the head-up-display (if equipped), indicates the time remaining until the signal changes to green."

"In the future we could envision this technology integrated into vehicle navigation, start / stop functionality and can even be used to help improve traffic flow in municipalities. These improvements could lead to better overall efficiency and shorter commuting times," Pom Malhotra, general manager of Connected Vehicles, said in a press release.

However, Audi has a challenging task at its hand because deploying V-to-I technology requires close cooperation with municipalities and transportation agencies, and a secure network.