Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technology is now a reality for some motorists in Washington, D.C. Traffic signal networks at more than 600 intersections in the District of Columbia have been enabled to support Audi of America’s “time-to-green” feature of Traffic Light Information.

With a focus on the benefits of the technology to help reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries, Mayor Bowser noted in a statement, “This initiative represents the kind of innovation that is critical for us to advance the traffic safety goals of Vision Zero.”

Available on select 2017 and 2018 models, Traffic Light Information is an Audi connect PRIME feature that enables the car to communicate with the infrastructure in cities that carry the service. When one of these select Audi models approaches a connected traffic light, it receives real-time signal information from the traffic management system that monitors traffic lights via the onboard 4G LTE data connection. At a red light, the TLI feature displays the time remaining until the signal turns greens. Designed to improve safety and mobility, the “time to green” information is intended to reduce driver stress.  

Launched in 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Traffic Light Information is now also available in parts of Dallas and Houston, as well as Palo Alto, Arcadia, Denver, and Portland. Today, with the addition of the District of Colombia, over 1,600 intersections across the nation support Traffic Light Information.

According to Audi, future iterations of V2I technology might include integration within the vehicle’s start/stop function, Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory, optimized navigation routing and other predictive services.