New Jaguar Land Rover tech lets cars 'talk' to traffic lights

A new system from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will enable cars to 'talk' to traffic lights, gathering information that lets them to inform their drivers of the right speed to travel at to hit a series of green lights. 

The “vehicle-to-infrastructure” or V2X system is called Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA), and is designed to prevent traffic tailbacks at traffic lights, helping ease traffic flow in urban areas. 

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JLR says widespread adoption of GLOSA would prevent drivers from racing to beat the lights and improve air quality by reducing harsh acceleration and braking.

GLOSA is currently being trialled in a Jaguar F-Pace as part of a £20 million Government-funded project called UK Autodrive. A number of other connected technologies are also being tested by JLR to try and reduce the amount of time commuters spend in traffic.

One of these is Intersection Collision Warning (ICW), which alerts drivers when it is unsafe to proceed at a junction.

ICW informs drivers if other cars are approaching from another road and is able to suggest the order in which they should proceed at a junction.

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JLR is also working on systems to provide real-time information of available parking spaces and an Emergency Vehicle Warning to alert motorists when an emergency services vehicle is approaching.

The Coventry-based manufacturer says its pledge is to deliver “zero accidents, zero congestion and zero emissions” with connected technology.

JLR connected technology research engineer Oriol Quintana-Morales said GLOSA has “the potential to revolutionise driving by creating safe, free-flowing cities that take the stress out of commuting”.

She added: “Our research is motivated by the chance to make future journeys as comfortable and stress-free as possible for all our customers.”

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