2017 Audi Vehicles To Come With Traffic Light Timers

According to a press release by Audi USA, the company is planning on implementing a system called vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), which will allow its vehicles to communicate with traffic lights. This is intended to alert drivers as to how long until the light turns green, thus giving them enough time to react accordingly.

Practically all drivers are familiar with the frustration of sitting in traffic and waiting for that light to turn green so they can go. With Audi’s plan, some of this frustration could be alleviated by giving drivers hard numbers to focus on.

As Business Insider UK puts it, drivers will now be spending less time worrying about keeping track of traffic lights thanks to the counter that will be on their dashboard. This allows them to devote their attention to other things and knowing how much time they have to wait. The vehicles in question will also start rolling out to some major cities in the U.S.

In terms of how the feature works, all the driver has to do is drive up to a traffic light that is currently in red and a timer will automatically appear on the dashboard console. About three seconds before the light turns green, the timer will disappear, which was intended to make sure that some drivers won’t use the feature to race each other.

Drivers can get this feature when they purchase the Audi Connect package, which also includes other services and costs $25 per month. It would seem that Audi is of the opinion that drivers who receive more information are happier drivers.

Audi has not disclosed the cities which will get the new feature first, but Computer World notes that it could include Las Vegas, Miami, and Washington D.C. The Department of Transportation also seems to be onboard the whole V2I concept, as the agency has been looking into the benefits of connected vehicle technology for the better part of a decade.