Nifty vehicle-traffic light gizmo called Travolution

A bit self-indulgent maybe, but one of our regular Google Alerts notified us this week of a scheme being run by the Audi car company, called "Travolution".

What on earth is going on? We can cope with an Edinburgh-based travel agency called Travelution, but do we see competition on the horizon?

Well, no... It appears Audi is developing a project that coordinates traffic light phasing and car movements. In other words: smart technology to allow cars to travel at a regular speed, rather than slowing down and speeding up at junctions.

"'Travolution' is a contraction of the two terms Traffic and Evolution," says the company. Geddit?

"This reduces fuel consumption, pollutant emissions, noise and travelling time.

"We perceive this area to offer considerable potential. And as an innovative car manufacturer, we are playing our part in tapping that potential.

"After all, the reduction of CO2 emissions should be achieved not only by vehicle-related measures but also by appropriate infrastructural measures."

The project is actually being run in conjunction with the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, the Technical University of Munich and GEVAS Software GmbH.

Well, we're just happy to be, erm, doing our bit...

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

[More on the AutoBlog. The Audi Investor Relations page for Annual Press Conferences is currently down]