JLR has created in-car tech that 'talks' to traffic lights and then tells drivers what speed to travel at to catch only green lights
YOU may never have to wait at a red light again in the near future, as Jaguar Land Rover has created tech that 'talks' to traffic lights.
The system tells drivers what speed to travel at so they don't have to wait - and possibly even brake - as they approach a junction, which can also improve fuel economy.
The internet-connected Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory was revealed ahead of the 150th anniversary of the world's first traffic light.
Installed outside London's Houses of Parliament in 1868, the lights were invented by railway signalling engineer JP Knight.
Not only has JLR found a way to connect vehicles to infrastructure, it has also developed tech for cars to communicate with each other.
The Intersection Collision Warning system alerts drivers when another car is approaching the same junction. This is to help reduce collisions as it indicates who has right of way.
One of the biggest hassles for drivers is trying to find parking, and JLR has addressed this too by providing real-time details on free spaces either in the car's vicinity or close to the final destination.
Time-saving is one thing, but life-saving is another - as an Emergency Vehicle Warning signals drivers to make way for ambulances and firetrucks.
JLR's systems are similar to those previewed by Ford and Vodafone's joint venture previewed earlier this year, which aims to save 40 per cent of lives by cutting four minutes of time emergency services are stuck in traffic.
The trials were part of the £20million government-funded UK Autodrive scheme, which also backed a JLR project that saw a driverless Range Rover Sport lap Coventry's Ring Road.
Oriol Quintana-Morales, JLR Connected Technology Research Engineer, said: "This cutting-edge technology will radically reduce the time we waste at traffic lights.
"It has the potential to revolutionise driving by creating safe, free-flowing cities that take the stress out of commuting.
"Our research is motivated by the chance to make future journeys as comfortable and stress-free as possible for all our customers."
