Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will be able to hit all the green lights
Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory is one of a handful of connected-car technologies the automaker is currently developing.
Wouldn't it be nice if your car automatically drove you at the perfect speed to sail through all the green lights in town? Well, that dream is closer to reality than you might think, thanks to Jaguar Land Rover 's connected-car development.
Jaguar Land Rover, with the help of both Ford Motor Company and Tata Motors, is working to flesh out its autonomous and connected-car technologies. Working at Tata's European Technical Center, the three are trying to connect cars to infrastructure while simultaneously expanding the car's standalone capabilities.
Three notable points of research can drastically improve efficiency and reduce the chance of collision. Electronic Emergency Brake Light Assist notifies drivers when a vehicle ahead slams on its brakes, offering extra time for the drivers behind to react. If you've ever been the last car in a line to come to a stop on the highway, you'll appreciate this one.
Advanced Highway Assist is similar to the capabilities shown off in Tesla's recently updated Autopilot. Here, a vehicle can overtake other cars automatically, without any human intervention. It also adds an auto-steering system similar to the one in the original Autopilot and Mercedes-Benz 's Drive Pilot.
Finally, there's Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory. This one involves the infrastructure -- by connecting to the traffic-light network, the vehicle can tell you what speed to drive in order to hit every green light possible. This could cut down on congestion and even reduce localized emissions pollution.
Of course, there's a whole wealth of technology being developed that isn't mentioned here, such as road sign recognition and autonomous driving systems that are capable of responding to traffic cones and other random additions to the roadway. And some of these features might change by the time they reach the public. But for now, the thought of sailing through a field of green lights sounds really nice.