Summary Reader Response Draft 4

According to a blog post entitled, “Smart Road Technology: Digital Highways of The Future” (2020), roads are usually neglected in discussions about the digital transformation of transportation. Safety, efficiency, and sustainability can be improved by upgrading roads with Smart Road Technology (SRT). SRT enhances visibility, generates energy and allows communication between vehicles, improving driver’s experience on roads. The blog post also describes how innovations such as solar powered roadways, weather and traffic detection help to boost safety and road efficiency. ‘Glow in the Dark Roads’ and ‘Interactive Lights’ will aid in visibility while supporting sustainability. Smart Roads and Electric Priority Lanes  allow electric vehicle charging on the road and vehicle communication. The blog post includes that governments and transport authorities understand the importance of adopting SRT. While the development of these innovations at scale can be expensive, leaders can initiate smaller scale projects before spearheading large-scale efforts. Having SRT drives the future of transportation and provides governments with the power over road traffic. With the implementation of SRT, the convenience and safety of road users and road sustainability will be greatly improved.

Convenience can be considered as one of the first factors that SRT might tackle. One such development that challenges this is called electric charging roads. These roads would improve convenience by providing energy to EVs while travelling between destinations. In January 2020, a test run of an electric charging road was conducted in Tel Aviv, Israel by a company named Electreon (“Electreon successfully operates bus”, 2021). During the trial period, it was reported that the system managed to continuously transmit energy to an electric bus over a 700-metre road while the bus was both still and travelling. This solution reduces the need for charging stations, thus saving time for EV road users while also saving city infrastructure space. Therefore, electric charging roads boost convenience for road users.

Another implementation of SRT would be to enhance safety for road users and improve the sustainability of road infrastructure. An idea installed along the N329 highway in Amsterdam, glow in the dark roads, is one such solution. They work by having a stretch of road painted with “photo-luminizing” powder that charges during the day and releases a green glow at night (Garber, 2014). These road strips are planted along dark highways or roads to illuminate paths for road users at night, improving safety for driving at night. It is also an alternative to using street lamps, aiding in sustainability and reducing energy costs.

Not all SRT has been successful in improving the road infrastructure, however. “The World’s First Solar Road” in France had reportedly turned out to be a failure (Pasley, 2019). Pasley stated that the solar powered road was supposed to generate electricity that would power streetlights in a local town. However, even at their peak, the roads only produced half of their expected energy, with a steady decline over three years. The road also suffered many damages throughout its trial, further reducing its effectiveness and incurring high costs. While a good idea, in theory, its practicality fell short due to the expensive price outweighing the cost it would save.

Since convenience and safety are the goals of SRT, there are innovations in the works that provide solutions for both. In an article by South China Morning Post, one popular innovation that would improve both safety and convenience of road users is the implementation of cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology. C-V2X is a communication system that connects vehicles to other vehicles and the city infrastructure. The article claims it would “provide real-time warnings and data for 10 different driving conditions on the road” and calculate possible outcomes before alerting the driver (SCMP, 2021). It also works with autonomous vehicles, providing solutions such as alleviating traffic jams by closely grouping cars. Hence, C-V2X is one solution to improve both safety and convenience.

As SRT begins to develop, innovations will bring out advancements in digitizing transport. These innovations will improve road safety features and enhance the convenience of road users while promoting road sustainability.

References:

Garber, M. (2014, April 16). This is what it’s like to drive on a glow-in-the-dark highway.
The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/this-is-what-its-like-to-drive-on-a-glow-in-the-dark-highway/360737/

Pasley, J. (2019, August 16). The world’s first solar road has officially crumbled into a total failure. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/the-world-s-first-solar-road-has-turned-out-to-be-a-disappointing-failure

PR Newswire. (2021, March 18). Electreon successfully Operates Bus Charged via Electric Road in Tel Aviv. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/electreon-successfully-operates-bus-charged-via-electric-road-in-tel-aviv-301249978.html

South China Morning Post. (2021, March 2). How smart 5G vehicle communication system will reduce fatal road accidents. https://www.scmp.com/presented/tech/topics/5g-network-drives-safer-travel/article/3123234/how-smart-5g-vehicle

Vrioeurope. (2020). Smart Road Technology: Digital Highways Of the Future.  https://vrioeurope.com/en/smart-road-technology-digital-highways-of-the-future/