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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Dutch Cabinet Approves Mileage Tax; In Effect in 2012 if Approved by Parliament
November 14, 2009
The Dutch Cabinet on Friday approved a new road tax bill that would eliminate the current motor vehicle tax and purchase tax and replace them with a charge per kilometer driven, starting in 2012 and increasing through 2018. The measure needs to be approved by the Dutch Parliament before becoming law.
The Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management cited research showing that the number of vehicle kilometers driven will decrease by about 15% under such a mechanism. The Ministry also suggested that motorists seeking alternatives such as public transport will increase by 6%, while traffic fatalities are expected to decrease by about 7%. Emissions of CO2 and particulate matter are expected to decrease by more than 10%.
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MIT and National Research Foundation of Singapore Launch Project on New Models and Tools for Future Urban Transportation
November 03, 2009
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Research Foundation of Singapore launched a new project to develop new models and tools for the planning, design, and operation of future urban transportation. Aimed at making urban transportation systems more environmentally sustainable—first in Singapore, and ultimately on a global scale—these new models will be developed and deployed by nearly 60 researchers from four academic institutions.
The fourth Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART Centre), the new Future Urban Mobility IRG is focused on developing innovative mobility solutions that simultaneously tackle two opposing objectives:
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OnStar Service to Launch in China in December
October 29, 2009
Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., a joint venture between General Motors Company, SAIC Group and Shanghai General Motors (SGM), will activate OnStar services and be fully operational in China in December 2009. This marks OnStar’s first venture outside of North America.
SGM will eventually make this telematics service available on its full portfolio of products, beginning with Cadillac, then Buick and finally Chevrolet. SGM will provide one year of OnStar as standard to customers with OnStar equipped vehicles. The service will be available throughout mainland China and will be first launched in Mandarin Chinese.
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Clemson Researchers to Study Increasing Efficiency of PHEVs Through Integration with IntelliDrive Technology
October 13, 2009
| The IntelliDrive taxonomy. Click to enlarge. |
Clemson University researchers were recently awarded a $470,363 National Science Foundation grant to study making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) more efficient through integration with a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) (“IntelliDrive”) system.
Such VII systems can act as probes, providing detailed traffic data—such as speed profiles and travel time—of any VII-monitored highway, which can be utilized by infrastructure agents, in addition to receiving data from other sources, to provide real-time trip information to these vehicles. PHEV-VII vehicles utilize these data to predict acceleration profiles in their driving path for use in developing an energy management control strategy.
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Nissan to Show EPORO Robot Cars; Collision-free Driving by Mimicking Fish Behavior
October 02, 2009
| The EPORO robot cars. Click to enlarge. |
In 2008, Nissan unveiled the Biomimetic Car Robot Drive (BR23C)—a robotic micro-car that recreates bee characteristics with the goal of producing a system that prevents collisions altogether. (Earlier post.) Now, Nissan is introducing the “EPORO” (EPisode O (Zero) Robot (Episode aiming to be CO2-free and accident-free)) robot car concept, which is designed to travel in a group of like-vehicles, mimicking the behavioral patterns of a school of fish in avoiding obstacles without colliding with each other.
Nissan will demonstrate this technology with a group of six EPOROs when they make their world debut at the CEATEC JAPAN 2009, 6-10 October at the Makuhari Messe.
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US House Passes $2.85B Bill for Advanced Technology Vehicle R&D from 2010-2014
September 17, 2009
The US House yesterday passed by a vote of 312-114 a bill that would authorize additional appropriations totalling $2.85 billion over the 2010-2014 period for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support a broad range of research activities for advanced technology vehicles.
H.R. 3246, the “Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009” covers research on light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as infrastructure and pilot programs. Ultimately targeting the development of technologies and practices that improve the fuel efficiency and reduce emissions of vehicles produced in the US, the bill also aims to “ensure a proper balance and diversity of Federal investment in vehicle technologies”, while strengthening “partnerships between Federal and State governmental agencies and the private and academic sectors.”
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Volvo Trucks to Highlight Projects at ITS World Congress
September 09, 2009
Volvo Trucks will display several next-generation ITS projects at its stand at the 16th World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS) to be held at the Stockholmsmässan in Stockholm from 21-25 September 2009.
Among its exhibits are “thinking” trucks that automatically handle some of the routine aspects of driving, communicate with other vehicles on the road and, if necessary, intervene automatically in critical situations.
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Researchers Suggest Organic Computing Approach to Traffic Light Control
June 28, 2009
An organic computing-based approach to traffic light control, might help solve the problem of controlling road traffic in congested areas and avoid traffic jams and gridlock, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems.
The organic approach to traffic light control in urban areas presented by Holger Prothmann of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and colleagues there and at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, exhibits adaptation and learning capabilities, allowing traffic lights to autonomously react on changing traffic conditions. The coordination mechanism for neighboring traffic lights relies solely on locally available traffic data and communication among neighboring intersections, resulting in a distributed and self-organizing traffic system for urban areas.
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Nissan Launches Intelligent Driver Project in UK; First Such Outside of Japan
June 26, 2009
Nissan has launched the Nissan Intelligent Driver Project (NIDP): an eight-month study of drivers in the United Kingdom (UK) beginning this month that uses satellite navigation systems, mobile phone technology and advanced vehicle telematics to analyse driving habits and suggest ways of improving fuel economy. Reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 are the two main targets behind the project.
In a similar trial in Japan, drivers reduced fuel usage by an average of 18%, with comparable reductions in CO2 emissions. It led to savings at the pump of an estimated €350 (US$492) per year. If similar improvements can be realized in Europe, the results would make a significant contribution to the development of these features in next-generation Information Technology (IT) & Telematics systems.
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Volvo Technology to Lead New York Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Development Program
June 11, 2009
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has selected Volvo Technology North America to lead the development and demonstration of an advanced Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (CVII) program. A contract awarding this program to Volvo Technology is being finalized by the state.
The program will demonstrate VII applications for commercial vehicles along key transportation corridors in the greater New York City region. Test corridors, utilizing 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC), include 13 miles of the New York State Thruway Authority’s I-87 Spring Valley Corridor and 42 miles of NYSDOT’s I-495 Long Island Expressway.
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TfL To Begin Testing of Intelligent Speed Adaptation Technology
May 11, 2009
| ISA speed map for Greater London. Click to enlarge. |
Transport for London (TfL) will begin a six-month trial of Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology which aims to reduce road casualties and help drivers avoid speeding penalties. (Earlier post.) As part of the trial, which will start this summer, a London bus will be fitted with ISA.
The intelligent technology, which works in conjunction with a GPS, enables drivers to select an option where acceleration is stopped automatically at the speed limit specific to any road in London within the M25 area. The unit can be disabled at the touch of a button, at which point it reverts to an advisory status where the current, legal speed limit is simply displayed as a driver aid. There is also a complete over-ride switch with disables the system entirely.
