Paris,France -ITS America (USA) -21 April 2011: -- The Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers makes a strong appeal towards harmonized Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) industry technical standards in order to accelerate the deployment of these systems... In this context globally aligned wireless communication protocols for safety and mobility relevant data to connect vehicles with each other and with the roadside infrastructure are a critical element to enable deployment... Our position is consistent with the agreement signed by the US government and the European Commission in support of global harmonization of ITS standards...* USA - Smarter Vehicles Coming Soon That Talk and Avoid Crashes: WiFi and GPS enabled systems should dramatically cut down crashes
(Photo from YouTube: Ford's intelligent vehicle technology safety system)
New York,NY,USA -AOL Autos, by Kevin Ransom -30 April 2011: -- The auto industry is moving closer to deploying technology into vehicles that could go a long way to making vehicle crashes, at least serious ones, mostly a thing of the past... Automotive technology has advanced so rapidly in the last decade that, every time something new comes along, and many of these technologies were once regarded as so futuristic that they seemed like something out of science fiction... In this case, we're talking about an advanced "intelligent vehicle" safety system that would essentially allow vehicles to "talk" to each other. Car makers have been working on the system for about decade, but engineers say that they could be introduced into production models as early as 2015. Although, it's also possible that it could be more like 2020... In the last few months, Ford and General Motors have held public demonstrations of these intelligent-vehicle systems in action... In an effort to throw a spotlight on the new technology, the carmakers will hold driving clinics this summer, to give consumers a "hands-on' experience with the vehicles...* USA - Urban Traffic Problems : Some of the most valuable real estate in cities is hidden beneath parked cars ...
New York,NY,USA-CNNMoney, by Eilene Zimmerman -April 29, 2011: ... For managers of urban resources, this turf is a blind spot... There's no real-time data about how it gets used, and you can't manage what you can't measure. Experts believe that some 30% of urban traffic comes from cars hunting for parking spaces... Enter Streetline, a 30-employee company in San Francisco that creates and installs wireless sensor networks to monitor parking spaces. Each sensor uses a magnetometer to detect the presence of large metal objects nearby... The sensors communicate wirelessly, signaling whether spots are occupied or vacant, gradually collecting data to reveal local parking patterns. That information allows cities to price their parking spaces according to their actual value, factoring in supply and demand as they would with any other piece of real estate... With that data, cities can both help ease congestion and boost their meter revenue... More cities are coming around to his way of thinking. During its first four years of business, Streetline closed only two deals. In the past six months, it closed six of them... (Photo from money.cnn: Lower East Side Seniors Home Eyes Seward Park Lots SPURA: Parking)* Romania / Japan - Lasers Could Replace Spark Plugs, Increasing Efficiency, Cutting Emissions
Okazaki,Japan -Autopia (USA) - April 29, 2011: -- Not much change in spark plugs since their invention 150 years ago. Researchers say lasers can ignite internal combustion in engine's fuel-air mixture more efficiently than spark plugs... Researchers in Romania, Japan say their system uses small lasers that focus beams into cylinders at varying depths, allowing for more complete combustion than occurs w/ conventional spark plugs, increasing efficiency and cutting emissions... Downside is high pulse energy required to cause ignition. Lot of energy required to ignite fuel-air mixtur... Lasers meeting requirements limited to basic research; were big, inefficient, and unstable, said Takunori Taira, of National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Okazaki, Japan. Team's solution is to use lasers made of ceramic powder pressed into spark-plug sized cylinder... Researchers talking to automotive supplier Denso about developing lasers commercially... (Image from wired: laser spark plug) * USA - GM, Ford Adopting Stop-Start Technology
Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News - April 28, 2011: -- Energy Department calculates 17.2% of vehicle's fuel is consumed when engine idles in traffic. Adds up to billions of gallons burned at stop signs, traffic lights, in urban congestion. Amounts to $0.69's worth of a $4 gallon wasted by idling... Hybrid vehicles typically have stop-start feature built into gas-electric drive systems. Conventionally powered vehicles must be engineered to incorporate technology... Relatively simple / inexpensive fuel-saving technology from Europe. Response to European Union's CO2 emission reduction and U.S. CAFE fuel economy targets Automakers adopting stop-start systems. Eliminates idling by shutting off engine when vehicle comes to complete stop... GM latest to announce stop-start feature, called eAssist. Ford intends to spread stop-start across global product range in next few years...
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