Cities everywhere are battling with traffic congestion, with more drivers using roads that weren't designed to support such so much traffic. Governments around the world are, as a result, looking at ways to reduce congestion, working to make their driving infrastructures smarter, more effective, and more environmentally friendly.
A new approach, called Road User Charging, will help alleviate congestion by using GPS technology to track a vehicle's movements. The system will let governments charge drivers based on usage, with data, including time period, distance traveled, and type of road, collected from the cars themselves.
NXP and IBM are performing the first practical test of Road User Charging in the Netherlands, demonstrating that pricing technology is ready for practical application in passenger cars. The pilot project, which will be in place for six months, involves 50 NXP and IBM employees in Eindhoven driving specially equipped cars.
Each car is outfitted with an On Board Unit that registers all trips and assigns a price for each trip. Using a secure web site, participants can see what route they have taken, how much this route costs them, and whether their choice of route has led to lower costs or not. During the second phase of the text, the driver can travel outside rush hours or use a cheaper route between home and work, to achieve a lower price. Rewards will be given to those employees who change their driving habits most effectively.
The On Board Unit, developed by NXP in collaboration with CPS Europe, contains the NXP ATOP chip. This chip includes a GPS receiver that gives, with optimal privacy, a determination of the vehicle's location through wireless communication. Using the mobile GPRS network, it continually feeds the car's location to an IBM system that calculates the route and cost data using an advanced back-office system. IBM relied on its worldwide experience in Road User Charging and Smart Traffic Systems when developing the system. The system satisfies all current European standards.
The trial has been set up in close consultation with the regional government. Beter Bereikbaar Zuidoost-Brabant (A More Accessible Southeast Brabant), the Eindhoven Regional Partnership Alliance, the Ministry of Traffic and Communication and the Province of North Brabant are all providing subsidies to support different test projects that affect the interface between business and government. The partners are striving for collaboration between companies, governments and educational and research institutions.
Related links:
Regular updates
To keep current with our latest announcements, be sure to sign up for eNews, our customizable electronic newsletter that saves you time by sending you only the information you want.
Follow us