Just like the question, “Which comes first the chicken or the egg?”, the relationship between the electronic vehicle (EV) and smart roads is nothing but a causality dilemma. The creation of EVs will only be effective with the existence of well-designed smart roads. There are a lot of benefits to using EVs including safety, convenience, and mobility. However, we can only make the most of this when smart infrastructures are given due attention, funding, and research. The technology should never be limited to the vehicle but to the road as well.
At the moment, smart infrastructures are significantly behind EV technology. Today’s traffic lights and signals are not designed for self-driving vehicles therefore further development is in demand. EV requires a different kind of indicator that requires wireless connectivity, radio, or cellular signals. Improving this will help in the accuracy of EV’s performance in detecting and anticipating movements of pedestrians and other vehicles. Just imagine the number of human-caused accidents that can be reduced. Thus, the call for advancing smart roads technology should never be left behind.
In a recent article featured in For Construction Pros, we’ll see how important it is for the government not to miss the other half of this wonderful transportation innovation. They write: “The focus on technology should not be isolated to the car itself, but also in upgrading the actual road infrastructure. State-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) to advance smart infrastructure will not only help driverless vehicles understand the roads better, but also improve overall road safety as AVs are not equipped to see around corners or other impediments.”