Riding the green wave with BMW

Designed to dramatically reduce traffic congestion by utilising the green wave, a sequence of traffic lights that turn green just as the vehicle approaches the junction. When this happens, it is possible for the driver to maintain a constant speed thus reducing the need for unnecessary braking and acceleration as well as cutting down on travelling time.

Using a combination of GPS technology and traffic management systems, the traffic management infrastructure can work out where the most vehicles are coming from and adjust the traffic light timing to suit. Obviously not everybody would get a green light all the time, but those in the largest group of vehicles would stand to benefit.

For cars equipped with this communication capability, it would also be possible to develop smart cruise control systems or simply prompt the driver to maintain a certain speed in order to have the best chance of catching the next green wave.

Credits: Story by Sheldon Trollope in Munich, Germany Photos by BMW Group