It ’s not impossible to avoidtoll roads , but it ’s definitely inconvenient . And tolls are too , especially if you refuse to bear change or have n’t ordered one of the correct passes that charges as you tug through .
Toll roads become most problematic for driver who lumber a fate of miles on different road with incompatible systems — meaning the drivers have to manage multiple story to annul getting strike with fines . This means they either put on several price transponders to theirwindshields , which can vitiate vision , or check that they always snaffle the right one at the right toll booth .
But what if U.S. toll authority could all grow up , concord on a reciprocally beneficial business enterprise good example and let machine driver practice one system across the circuit card ?
That ’s what Audi is hop to do with its latest engineering — or at least make toll roads less of a hassle for drivers . Certain model available from Audi sold in North America will be fitted withintegrated bell technologythat is compatible with 98 percent of United States toll road , as well as some in Canada and Mexico .
How the Tolls Talk
Audi ’s system trust on a combination of computer software and hardware to wreak , says Amanda Koons , a product and technology communications representative for Audi , who explained the new technology via e-mail .
Instead of cluttering up the cable car ’s windshield with bulky transponders , Audi has engraft a toll module in the railcar ’s rearview mirror . These mirrors are made by Gentex Corporation , which already supplies the robotlike dimming rearview mirrors in Audi vehicle , and the design looks incisively the same .
To use the integrated bell module , drivers still must show their vehicle and set up account , and they ’ll still necessitate multiple account for the different price web — though they will be much easier to manage . Once the account statement entropy is stored in the car , it ’ll be simple to zip through tolls stress - free . The system even works in high moving in vehicle ( HOV ) lanes . Koons says Gentex was responsible for collaborating with all the necessary toll authorisation to ensure compatibility .
" For toll that take more than one passenger in the fomite , the number one wood can adjust the figure of occupier via the infotainment system of rules , " Koons say . " The only thing that is managed through the infotainment organization is the telephone number of passengers ( some HOV tolls require two or more passengers in the fomite ) and wrench the faculty on and off . "
Audi is the first car maker to introduce this case of toll organization . Though the company has not yet let on which models will be the first to offer the system , it will eventually be available across the brand ’s entire card . Koons says that the organization can not be retrofitted to elderly Audi vehicles . " Now that we have a applied science like this , it ’s plausible someone could drive from Florida to New York without having to use three different cost tag , which is much more convenient and less stressful for the driver , " Koons says .
The Incompatibility Problem
So , by from being able to tug from Florida to New York without one cost transponder , what makes interoperable price so important ? Take Florida for example . As of mid-2017 , the nation apply two systems calledE - PassandSunPass , but neither are compatible withE - ZPass , which is the largest toll assemblage broadcast in the world . E - ZPassoperates and is accepted in 16 states ( mostly in the Northeast ) and represent about 40 unlike tolling authority .
According toreporting by the Tampa Bay Times , Florida ’s SunPass is trying to become compatible with E - ZPass and has invested in the necessary computer hardware and software raise , but they are getting stonewalled because " it ’s complicated . "
The situation is similar along the Illinois / Indiana mete . Indiana uses E - ZPass and Illinois usesI - Pass , and though the systems are compatible ( E - ZPass transponder can be used on I - Pass road , and frailty versa ) , in 2010,Illinois begin charging I - Passusers a " 3 - cent - per - dealings - fee " for using the Indiana toll roads and Chicago Skyway . The Chicago Skywaytoll bridge is one of the main ways to travel between southeasterly Illinois and northwest Indiana , and in 2005 , became the first privately owned highway in the United States . As of 2015 , the Skyway is have by a group of Canadian investor , have in mind that a commuter between the two states has to give toll to three different entities .
So far nothing has made much remainder on the web that is toll road , but perhaps Audi ’s integrated toll technology could finally be the game changer that push price dominance to introduce one system of rules that form across the board — we can only hope , right ? But it ’s not the only matter Audi is doing to be more connected . The toll engineering is just part of a large rollout the car maker calls " vehicle - to - infrastructure " ( V2I ) engineering science , which aims to advance engineering science , and improve affair that seem totally outdated — like those aforementioned toll route .
