Audi has started to deploy new technology that will communicate with traffic lights and tells drivers when the lights will go green to help optimise traffic flow, cut fuel costs and save time.

Audi’s new Traffic Light Information system is said to be the first Vehicle-to-Infrastructure technology in the US.

Said to be the first Vehicle-to-Infrastructure technology in the US, the system launched this month in Las Vegas on Audi A4 and Q7 models. Further US cities will follow – the technology has  been included on all Audi A4 and Q7 models produced for the US market since June 2016 – and introduction of the system is planned in Europe.

The technology includes a Time-to-Green function that lets drivers know whether they will reach the next light on green while travelling within the permitted speed limit. If not, a countdown shows the time remaining until the next green light.

“In our tests the number of cars that had to brake to a standstill in traffic fell by around 20%. This saved time for the driver and also made fuel savings of about 15% in the pilot project,” said Michael Zweck, project manager for Audi Traffic Light Information.

Future developments could see the technology made use of for smart navigation and it could even play a role in helping Audi e-tron models make greater use of braking energy by charging the battery as they decelerate at a red light.

Audi also intends to introduce the technology in Europe and has already carried out research projects in Berlin, Ingolstadt, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Verona. However one issue is the lack of unified data standards and digital infrastructure.

“In Europe highly diverse traffic technology is in use, as the infrastructure has developed locally. We are working on harmonisation of the data that have been prepared. After that has been done, we can provide Traffic Light Information in Europe too,” said Mr Zweck.

Audi added that its research will also benefit customers of other brands in future, and increased take-up will help city traffic planners to understand the causes of hold-ups and optimise the phasing of traffic lights.

“For the first time, our cars are exchanging data with traffic infrastructure in real time. Drivers can adapt their behaviour to the situation and move through city traffic in a much more relaxed and controlled way,” said Andreas Reich, head of electronics pre-development at Audi AG. “We increase energy efficiency when we connect our Audi models to smart cities. Further V2I services will follow, making the car into an interactive mobile device. We see autonomous driving as the end of this development.”