Emerging Technologies Can Help Save Gas, Reduce Traffic

byDavid Isaacs, Vice President, Government Affairs

If you were one of the millions of Americans who got stuck in Labor Day traffic last weekend, take heart – there’s hope for quicker, less costly travel in the future.

According to a new report titled “Accelerating Sustainability: Demonstrating the Benefits of Transportation Technology”,几个新兴technologies have the potential to ease traffic and save gas, while at the same time reducing U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The report, which was released last week by ITS America, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Center for Clean Energy Innovation (CCEI), and Digital Energy & Sustainability Solutions Campaign (DESSC), analyzed the potential impacts of 16 emerging smart technologies on U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Some key findings:

• Widespread use of cooperative-adaptive cruise control alone could produce savings of 110 million barrels of oil and 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a ten-year period.

• Greater use in the light-duty vehicle market could translate into fuel savings of 420 million barrels of oil and 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over a ten-year period.

• If built out across the country, real-time adaptive signal control could translate into fuel savings of 117 million barrels of oil and 19 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over a ten-year period.

•With current sales trends gas-electric hybrid vehicles represent the most significant potential fuel savings on the order of 2 billion barrels of oil and 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over a ten-year period.

The report demonstrates one of the many ways in which semiconductor-enabled technology improves our lives, making transportation systems greener, more efficient, and less costly. For more information or to download the full report, visit theDESSC website.