Audi’s Traffic Light Assist could pave the way for smart roadways. Everyone knows just how frustrating it can be to sit at a red traffic light with no idea when it will turn green. The technology Audi is developing syncs the car with the city traffic light system, showing the driver how many seconds until the traffic signal turns green or red.

Imagine a world where you know when the traffic light is going to turn! Audi is paving the way to that future with its new Traffic Light Assist system.

The technology has been demonstrated in various scenarios with great results. Audi’s Traffic Light Assist technology monitors the traffic signal data and combines it with the vehicle’s speed and traffic patterns on the roadways to deliver data to the driver. A nifty traffic light icon appears in the center display and counts down the time remaining until the light changes. With many automobiles now utilizing engine stop/start systems to reserve fuel, Audi’s new technology will give them ample time to restart before the light changes, preventing traffic backup at signals.

There are also safety perks to the Audi Traffic Light Assist feature, as it can help curb running red lights. This is because not only does the system show when the light will allow you to go, it also warns when the light is about to turn red, taking the guesswork out of yellow-to-red accidental runs.

This exciting integrated technology will hopefully become commonplace over the next decade. It will take some time for cities and automakers to get on board, with cities needing to develop safe ways to allow automakers access to the traffic light data and other issues. Audi is aiming to integrate the technology in all of its new cars and hopes things will go smoothly in just a few years. This vehicle-to-infrastructure communication potential is enormous, and there are also vehicle-to-vehicle systems being developed by other companies to prevent collisions.

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