Audi Sustainability Report 2019
Equipment package: “Audi connect Navigation & Infotainment” and “camera-based traffic sign recognition” nience for drivers, increase traffic safety, and encourage a foresighted, economical style of driving,” says Andre Hainzlmaier, who heads development for Apps, Connected Services and Smart City. But that’s not all: In return, Audi provides the traffic management system with anonymized data. Traffic planners see, for example, whether vehicles have to stop frequently at certain intersections or average waiting times are comparatively long. As a result, traffic lights can be switched more efficiently and traffic flows better. “Ingolstadt is the first city in Europe in which we are connecting our series-production models with traffic lights. This shows how rigorously the city is investing in a digital traffic infrastructure and how important a close partnership is. The service will help improve traffic flows so that everyone in Ingolstadt benefits,” says Achim Heinfling, a plant manager at Audi in Ingolstadt. In the long term, traffic in all cities worldwide will benefit from this. For instance, in the future, traffic light information could be linked with smart navigation, and “green waves” could be incorporated into optimum route guidance. It is also conceivable that Audi e-tron models will increasingly use braking energy to charge the battery as they slow down when approaching a red traffic light. And, of course, it would be practical if connected traffic lights could respond situationally to current traffic density. In the not too distant future, young drivers could be asking, “What was stop-and-go again?”