After three years of experiments as part of the Optimod’Lyon research project, which aims to improve traffic flow in urban areas, Renault Trucks recently presented a prototype application for HGV drivers. This aims to provide real-time and predictive updates on traffic conditions as well as advice on economic driving to reduce the impact trucks have on urban traffic.

The Optimod’Lyon project, initiated in 2012 by the Lyon (France) Metropolitan Council and designed to improve the flow of urban traffic, has just come to an end. As a partner in this project, Renault Trucks developed a new application to prototype stage known as SmartFreight. This was based on its special GPS HGV application. The combination of data supplied by the Lyon Metropolitan Council and provided by the vehicle itself, assists drivers in their task and helps them choose the best itinerary under prevailing traffic conditions, according to the automaker.

“We may sometimes forget it, but trucks make an essential contribution to a city’s life,” said Bernard Modat. “For many years now, we have been working to reduce the impact they have on traffic as much as possible. The Optimod’Lyon project allowed us to test new services for drivers and make our contribution to improving traffic flow in urban areas. Going forward, we are planning on developing the uniformization of this data and services for other European metropolitan areas.”

The SmartFreight prototype application is an urban freight navigator experimenting with new services for drivers. The application enables them to choose a fast and economic delivery itinerary, while at the same time helping them improve their driving and, ultimately, improve traffic flow, according to the automaker.

Two modules were tested by Renault Trucks. The first is a driving aid, which analyses the delivery driver’s driving in real time, suggests ways of improving it and provides an assessment of performance for each journey. The second is an advanced navigation module allowing drivers to consult traffic conditions on their smartphones in real time or at a specific time, taking into account traffic problems caused by roadworks on the route as well as the identification and availability of delivery bays, according to the automaker.