Date: 04/03/2010

GPS based trial road test by NXP Semiconductor and IBM declared successful

NXP Semiconductors and IBM have completed a road trial test in Netherlands where both have applied combined technologies to find ways to decongest road traffic otherwise using technology to find better route to the destination. The six-month road pricing trial, conducted in the city of Eindhoven, was designed to provide the Dutch government with insights to address the challenge of traffic congestion in the Netherlands. The test is declared as overwhelmingly successful, with 70 percent of drivers changing their behavior to avoid rush-hour travel when presented with the right incentives, demonstrating that road pricing systems can have a positive effect on driving habits and help alleviate traffic.

"The test has vastly exceeded our expectations," said Maurice Geraets, senior director, NXP Semiconductors. "Together, NXP and IBM have logged more than 200,000 test kilometers as part of the trial, and the complete system has proven to be highly reliable. The technology is ready to charge car owners fairly for the use of the car based on road type, time of day and the environmental characteristics of the car, and to give effective feedback to drivers to influence their behavior - helping them save money and make more efficient, greener driving choices on a daily basis. Further, the Eindhoven trial has demonstrated that our technology is ready for implementation in any large-scale traffic management program."

"The results of our GPS based solution in Eindhoven show that nation wide implementation of road user charging is feasible. Already successful IBM implementations of congestion charging schemes in Stockholm, Brisbane, Singapore and London are now also achievable with GPS which makes country wide implementations possible for millions of cars", said Eric-Mark Huitema, mobility executive at IBM. "Smart traffic and transportation systems have tremendous potential to reduce traffic congestion, contribute to a cleaner environment with reduced carbon dioxide and small particles emissions."

Key findings of the trial included:
70 percent of drivers improved their driving behavior by avoiding rush-hour traffic and using highways instead of local roads.
On average, these drivers in the trial saw an improvement of more than 16 percent in average cost per kilometer.
A clear system of incentives is critical to changing driving behavior.
Instant feedback provided via an On-Board Unit display on the price of the road chosen and total charges for the trip are essential to maximizing the change in behavior.