Your car will soon tell you when that traffic signal is going to change
When it comes to traffic lights, most drivers take the approach that red means stop, green means go and yellow means floor it. That's not the most recommendable technique, but it's one my accelerator and I are more than familiar with, and one that BMW hopes to improve.
The German automaker is bringing the EnLighten app to its instrument panels, providing drivers with real-time displays of their city's stoplights. The display shows the status of the light the driver is approaching, as well as a countdown of how much time there is until it changes. The app also estimates whether the driver needs to speed up in order to make it through an intersection before the light turns red.
According to Connected Signals, the Eugene-based company that developed EnLighten:
"Our engineers have developed sophisticated techniques to predict upcoming signal states. Knowing the current state of traffic lights and how they will change creates opportunities to increase driving safety, increase fuel efficiency, and improve the driving experience."
Connected Signals says its proprietary technology interfaces with the traffic management systems in the cities where EnLight is available and uses speed limit information, a map of the city streets, and data it collects from traffic signals themselves in order to "model light behavior and predict future behavior." The company believes that providing that info could help drivers avoid accidents caused by either trying to race through an intersection before the signal changes or by stopping suddenly in anticipation of a sudden red light.
For non-BMW drivers, the EnLighten app is available for iOS and Android device. Drivers who want to see the display right on the dash of their Beamers are limited to the iOS version and must have the optional BMW Apps feature.
According to NBC News, Connected Signals says it monitors 100,000 stoplights in over 100 locations, but the EnLighten app is only active in nine cities so far and it's in beta in two more, including Christchurch, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. The integrated BMW Apps version currently only works in three cities: Portland, Eugene and Salt Lake City.
The company promises that it will be expanding to additional cities "in several phases in the coming year." Until then, we'll be relying on well-timed acceleration when the light turns yellow.