Sweden
Sweden is building the first electrified road.
World Highways Magazine 26.01.2022
The Swedish transport administration Trafikverket has decided to build the country's first electrified road — a section of the two-lane E20 road between Halsberg and Örebro, with a length of 21 kilometers. Electrification involves the deployment of electric road systems that allow electric vehicles to charge batteries on the move.
It has not yet been decided which technology will be used to electrify the road designed for heavy-duty vehicles with electric motors, but it is expected that it will be put into operation by 2025.
The volume of goods and transport that the transport operators of the District of Örebro can use to test the pilot version of the electrified road is already large enough to allow Trafikverket to collect data, even if it does not subsequently turn into a test version of the national electrified road system.
The report notes that most of the cargo transported between northern and southern Sweden passes through the county of Örebro. Freight traffic volumes in the region are expected to increase by 46% until 2040 with annual growth rates of 1.1% until 2040 and 0.8% in 2040-2065, according to Trafikverket's baseline national forecast. The Örebro region has become a logistics hub, largely due to its location in the center of Sweden.
In May 2020, the district also completed work with the owners of the Ellevio, Vattenfall and Svenska Kraftnät power grids to assess the possibilities of electricity supply for such a road.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises (Transportföretagen) believes that the action plan submitted by the Swedish Electrification Commission (Elektrifieringskommissionen) to expand the use of electric vehicles is a positive step.
Markus Dahlsten, executive director of the confederation, said his organization wants to see more investment in electrified transport, electrified road networks and a long-term plan for the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. He noted that this will be necessary to achieve the country's goals in the field of combating climate change.
Dahlsten added that it is much cheaper to expand electrified roads than to build new railway lines.
At the beginning of last year, the Swedish public-private group Evolution Road launched the second phase of construction of an electrified road in the city of Lund.
https://www.worldhighways.com/wh12/news/sweden-create-permanent-electric-road
USA
To reduce the death rate from road accidents in the USA, the entire frequency range of 5.9 GHz is needed.
ITS International 26.01.2022
ITS America and the American Association of State Employees of Highways and Transportation (AASHTO) said in court in Washington, DC that the entire 5.9 GHz frequency range should be preserved for the "car to everything" technology (V2X).
In oral arguments in the District Court of the District of Columbia, both organizations confirmed that the use of the entire range for transport communications "is crucial to reduce the number of accidents and improve safety on U.S. roads. "
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reallocated 60% of the frequency band for unlicensed, nontransport use, but ITS America and AASHTO argue that V2X and connected vehicle technologies need access to all frequencies of the 75 MHz spectrum.
These arguments followed an appeal that ITS America and AASHTO filed last June to overturn the FCC's decision.
"The death rate is monstrous, especially taking into account recent trends — the number of deaths on the roads increased by 8% in 2020 (compared to 2019) and by another 18% in the first half of 2021," said Laura Chase, president and CEO ITS America.
"Connected vehicle technology is our best tool for improving road safety and saving lives, and we cannot leave it aside. "
https://www.itsinternational.com/its4/its7/news/full-59-ghz-needed-stop-devastating-deaths
United Kingdom
Two commissions submitted a report on liability for accidents caused by autonomous vehicles
ITS International 28.01.2022
The joint report of the Legal Affairs Commission of England and Wales and the Legal Affairs Commission of Scotland recommends a new system of responsibility after the autonomous driving of vehicles was allowed to be used on the country's roads.
According to the report, the driver will become a "responsible user", which means that he cannot be held accountable for offenses directly related to driving, such as exceeding the speed limit or running a red light, if the violation took place within the framework of autonomous driving.
The report clarifies that the responsible user (i.e. the person in the driver's seat) will retain other driver responsibilities, such as insurance, checking cargo or ensuring that children are wearing seat belts.
But from a legal point of view, the responsibility does not fall on the driver, but on the so-called authorized autonomous driving suppliers (ASDE).
The report explains that ASDE "is a manufacturer or developer that guarantees the safety of an autonomous car. "
The Commissions recognize that some vehicles may be allowed to move without a person in the driver's seat, which makes all persons in the vehicle passengers.
A licensed NUIC operator (without a responsible user) will monitor and be responsible for such vehicles.
In addition, the report recommends the adoption of a new Law on automated vehicles capable of autonomous operation. He suggests making a clear distinction between features that simply help drivers, such as adaptive cruise control, and those designed for autonomous driving.
It also states that regulators of autonomous vehicles should develop guidelines for actions that a responsible user can (or cannot) take.
Nicholas Paynes, Commissioner for Public Law, says: "We have an unprecedented opportunity to promote public recognition of automated vehicles through our safety recommendations and clarification of legal liability."
https://www.itsinternational.com/its2/its8/news/can-drivers-be-responsible-av-offences
Zenzic launches a new V2X pilot project with Commsignia in the UK
Traffic Technology Today 25.01.2022
Zenzic, an organization dedicated to accelerating the introduction of atomic cars in the UK, has announced the launch of the V2X project, which is headed by Commsignia and in partnership with the "CAM Testbed UK" test site complex.
Working with technology companies Vodafone and Nokia, the project aims to assess the current positions of the car-to-everything (V2X) technology in the British environment. The goal is to provide reliable information that can be used to test initial V2X services.
The project is funded by the State Center for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and coordinated by Zenzic, will be led by Commsignia and will combine British experience in the field of V2X services. Partners include UTAC Millbrook and Horiba MIRA, members of CAM Testbed UK, as well as Vodafone.
USA
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is launching a road work data exchange project
Traffic Technology Today 27.01.2022
The program is the result of a new national initiative of the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for standardization and exchange of road work data. As an important security initiative, the data will be available to navigation applications, connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), as well as to any company or regional authority seeking to integrate or aggregate transport information in real time.
This will be the largest project of providing data unilaterally on road works in the history of the WZDx program.
one.network will collect and provide comprehensive data on road works, including information on blocked lanes and violations on roads using a comprehensive, but easy-to-use platform.
The company is ready to work with other agencies to provide its data for free, which gives a huge advantage over agencies that develop and use their own programs compatible with WZDx. Similarly, CAV operators can access this information immediately, wherever the one.network platform operates.
one.network's core software platform goes far beyond this WZDx initiative, directly contributing to the safety and efficiency of regional transport operations. It can receive and display virtually unlimited traffic data from multiple sources, including existing 511 systems, road work crews, utilities, and any organizations that affect traffic. With a few keystrokes, agency personnel, traffic controllers or any other person appointed by them can manage lane closures, create detours, report speed limits, add or change road work or utility work zones, and use traffic data streams that are not normally used on agency servers. With a few extra clicks, traffic controllers can access archived data that will help them make decisions.
The one.network platform also provides data to GPS providers, including Google, Waze and TomTom, so agencies can be sure that important information reaches the public, even if drivers do not use specialized DriveNC applications from NCDOT.
one.network is a newcomer to the US market, relying on its well—established and successful history in the United Kingdom, where its platform is used in more than 90% of national traffic management jurisdictions, including London. In addition to the agreement with North Carolina, the company has started pilot programs in other US states, collecting data from 54 online sources and 35 different agencies to date.