Audi of America and Traffic Technology Services this fall plan to launch a form of vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technology — involving traffic light data — on select 2017 model-year Audi Q7, A4 and A4 allroad models.

An Audi connect Prime feature, the traffic light information function will enable the car to communicate with the infrastructure in select metropolitan areas across the U.S. The car will receive real-time signal information from the advanced traffic management system that monitors traffic lights. The link between vehicle and infrastructure will be routed via the on-board LTE data connection and Traffic Technology Services servers.

While waiting at a connected traffic light, the driver information system in the instrument cluster, as well as the head-up-display (if equipped), will indicate the time remaining until the signal changes to green.

“This feature represents Audi’s first step in vehicle-to-infrastructure integration,” said Pom Malhotra, Audi of America’s general manager of connected vehicles. “In the future we could envision this technology integrated into vehicle navigation, start/stop functionality and [it] can even be used to help improve traffic flow in municipalities. These improvements could lead to better overall efficiency and shorter commuting times.”

(To watch an Audi video about the upcoming traffic light information feature, click on the photo or link below the headline.)

Now in its infancy, connected vehicle technology — encompassing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications — is expected to play a critical role in future transportation.

Ultimately, connected vehicle technology will allow vehicles, roads, traffic signals and other infrastructure — along with people’s smartphones — to share vital transportation information. These advances, in concert with deployment of autonomous vehicles, are expected to promote much greater safety and traffic flow in tomorrow's cities.