The Econolite Group has announced it has entered into negotiations with Savari Inc. with the objective of forming a partnership to accelerate the deployment of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies and systems, with a focus on vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications.
Econolite’s partnership with Savari brings together the industry leaders in ITS and traffic management equipment and V2I road-side-units (RSUs) to accelerate the deployment of the smart infrastructure required for connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) networks. The two companies will continue to build on previous connected vehicle collaborations and cooperate in the sales, marketing, and manufacturing of Savari’s StreetWAVE RSUs and Econolite’s Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) equipment that use Savari’s latest V2I safety applications, such as Curve Speed Warning (CSW), Work Zone Warning (WZW) and In-Vehicle Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT).
According to USDOT, 35,092 people died on the country’s roadways in 2015, and it’s estimated that 94% of all crashes can be tied to a human choice or error. V2I safety applications can help significantly reduce the number of accidents and fatalities by providing important information about the roadway environment to drivers and automated driver systems. Additionally, V2I communications can help unclog busy roadways by intelligently and efficiently routing traffic through connected cities and highways.
Econolite and Savari have collaborated on a number of connected vehicle research projects and proof of concept demonstrations. This cooperation most recently occurred during the Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) project, which takes advantage of connected vehicles to optimize intersection operation, and provide improved response to priority requests for emergency, transit, and freight vehicles. MMITSS used ITS systems from Econolite and V2X communication equipment from Savari, together with advanced control and priority concepts developed by the University of Arizona.
“We are living in transformative times in the ITS industry,” said Econolite’s chief technology officer, Gary Duncan. “With the rapid development of connected, and automated vehicle and Smart City initiatives, the importance of V2I capabilities will continue to grow. Through the combined expertise and technologies of Econolite and Savari, we can quickly help cities and transportation agencies successfully navigate and deploy the V2I systems that will help improve safety and enhance transportation efficiencies on our nation’s highways.”
Savari’s CEO, Ravi Puvvala, commented, “We are excited about taking our relationship with Econolite Group to the next level. Our previous successful collaboration on connected vehicle projects provided great insight into our collective capabilities. V2X safety communication technology, which includes V2V, V2I and V2P hardware and applications, forms the foundation of every smart city’s automated urban transportation system.”