AUDI CARS TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL THE TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGES

Audi just introduced a new feature that is able to let drivers know exactly when the traffic light they are at will change. Called a “traffic light information system,” it will be available on “select” 2017 models of Audi’s Q7, A4 and A4 allroad. Here’s how it works: pull up to a red light and you’ll see a countdown right in the car’s instrument cluster, letting you know how much longer until the light turns green. If the car is moving, the countdown will start if the upcoming light will be red by the time the car reaches the intersection. Audi has partnered with a number of cities in order to get access to traffic light data. The software that powers those systems is able to send its data – both for timed lights and sensor-controlled signals – to Audi’s cloud in-real time. Audi then takes that data, runs it through its prediction algorithms and sends it to its cars, which show the predictions to the drivers on the road. It’s only going to be available in a few cities when it launches this fall. Audi hasn’t said which cities will be part of the initial rollout just yet but says it expects to have the technology available in five to seven U.S. cities this year, with more to follow later on. Additionally, Audi won’t have data for every single traffic light, but will focus on the areas that see the most amount of traffic, since those are the intersections where information could be most useful.
* Didn’t they used to call this “vaporware”?
* Wow, this is so not a game-changer.
* You can almost see the other car companies rolling their eyes.
* Get back to me when we can change the traffic lights to green ourselves.
* A traffic light information system? My, what an imaginative name.
* You idiots, make it sexier than that. We have some cars to sell here.
* How about the Extreme Countdown to Ultimate Green System?
* Great. This will really help you jump the lights and get crunched by anyone running the opposing yellow.