Connected vehicles will enable road charging based on actual emissions

New technology is being developed that will enable local authorities to implement dynamic road charging based on actual vehicle emissions.

Connected vehicle technology specialist Tantalum Corporation said last week that it has been awarded a £1m grant by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles to develop real-time NOx emissions estimation capability that uses an on-board connected device.

The ability to correlate real-time emissions data with location, driver behaviour and time information will create new opportunities for city planners and individuals to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles in urban areas, Tantalum said.

The company has partnered with Imperial College London on the Air.Car project, and a 1,000-vehicle trial is planned to start this autumn.

“It is our belief that companies, local authorities and citizens all want to help clean up the air we breathe,” commented Ozgur Tohumcu, Tantalum’s CEO. “Through Tantalum’s solution and unique patents, we are within reach of this goal. Imagine your vehicle giving you routes that avoid sensitive areas such as schools while rewarding you financially for driving in a manner that saves fuel and reduces emissions. Your vehicle then automatically pays specific emissions charges based on where, when and how you drive. We are working with Imperial College and cities around the world to make this vision a reality.”

With the UK Government preparing to publish its new action plan to improve air quality, which is expected to include new Clean Air Zones around the country, Tantalum said that its Air.Car services will be able to help deliver the emissions reductions required “in a smarter, cheaper and fairer way than some of the blunter instruments proposed”.

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