Scion’s latest concept car (above) features a WiFi connection. Scion’s FUSE Sports Coupe is packed with video and networking. Video can be downloaded to the car and displayed on two 10.5-inch monitors on the front dash. Passengers can also IM friends. Acura’s RDX and BMW also support the iPod.

The FUSE's drive-by-wire technology is part of a trend away from mechanical connections to autos powered as much by software as cables, according to Thilo Koslowski, a Gartner auto technology analyst. BMW, Mercedes and Cadillac are also experimenting with fiber optic networks inside cars.

XM NavTraffic GPS systems will be available in the Acura RDX, Infiniti G35 and Lexus LS sedans. The system is factory-installed already in all Acura RL and Cadillac CTS models.

XM NavTraffic delivers real-time traffic navigation for drivers in 31 U.S. markets. Along with continuous traffic information, drivers see a color-coded map indicating how fast traffic is moving on any route. The data comes from a mix of police reports, commercial traffic companies, road sensors and aircraft, according to XM Satellite.

Meanwhile, Intelligent Transportation System applications are used to improve a range of freight and commercial vehicle operations.

RF-ID transponders at 915 MHz are used to pay tolls electronically. Before it can participate in electronic screening, a motor carrier must enroll in the electronic screening programs offered by each state in which it operates and install transponders in each of its vehicles. Additional features are being incorporated into Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) Transponders at 5.9 GHz.

Several types of technologies are used to facilitate roadside screening. Trucks are equipped with a transponder can sends the vehicle and carrier ID, to a roadside reader. This electronic weigh station can eliminate stops since a sensor buried in the roadway weighs the vehicle on the fly at 55mph.

Unfortunately, there is not a uniform business model. The PrePass system (map) requires a fee to be paid while MAPS, an interoperable partnership among Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Washington, is free. Although they use essentially the same 915 Mhz technology, interoperability between the business models (pdf) has prevented uniform adoption. Oregon's Green Light system is interoperable with NORPASS system but the state has been unable to reach an interoperability agreement with PrePass.

David Fifer of Oregon DOT explains how it works:

The system as a whole incorporates several different technologies. First of all the truck must be equipped with a transponder, which is a communication device with a unique I.D. code that is assigned to the truck’s vehicle record as it appears in the MCTD registration database.

The transponder is charged by a lithium battery that has a life expectancy of 5-7 years, and is attached to the windshield inside the truck using double-sided mounting tape.

As the truck approaches a WIM site, about a mile upstream of the weigh station, an Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) Reader antenna which overhangs the highway pings the truck’s transponder and sends the I.D. number to a roadside computer that is linked to the MCTD registration mainframe. The computer interrogates the vehicle record associated with that transponder to ensure that the credentials of the truck, and business standing of the carrier are up-to-date. At the same time an infrared Overheight Detection System ensures the truck doesn’t exceed maximum height, and the WIM component weighs the truck.

The WIM, simply put, is a scale pad equipped with loops, single-load cell scales, and dynax axle sensors built right into the highway. The single load cells weigh each axle of the truck while the loops and axle sensors configure the distance between each axle. This information is also captured by the roadside computer and an algorithm software determines if the truck is of legal weight.

The weight information interfaces with the vehicle record info, and a data packet is created with a sort decision to have the truck either bypass or report to the station. This data packet is sent to a second AVI antenna called the Writer located about 600 feet further down the highway.

Based on the sort decision the Writer then pings the transponder with the appropriate signal – a red light signal to the transponder indicates that the truck must stop at the weigh station, a green light indicates that it can proceed without stopping.

Most states, including Oregon’s I-5 corridor neighbors California and Washington, now offer this same technology. That’s the good news to industry. The bad news is that, although the technology is compatible state-to-state, currently there are “business model” boundaries that prevent total interoperability among all states.

Truckers traveling in Oregon saved an estimated 115,000 hours of travel time and $8.6 million in fuel, wear and tear, and other operating costs as they bypassed weigh stations 1,382,512 times in 2005.

ITS America 2006, May 7-9 in Philadelphia, is the the big show that brings together decision makers from state, federal and local agencies together with equipment vendors, software developers and telecommunications providers.

Some urban planners envision a multi-faceted public transit system that marries efficiency with comfort: Wi-Fi on mass transit, car-sharing and fuelled jitneys (shared taxis) to transport people from station to work or home. Bicycles would also be available for rent at each station. "Smartcards" get you onto any mode of public transit.

KVH's newest system, the TracVision R6, is a compact 12" high design and completes the transition to an all-digital TracVision product line. KVH's mobile internet solution uses EV-DO cellular for the uplink while Motosat's Datastorm does 2-way with more traditional dishes that fold up when traveling.

RaySat’s EagleRay 5.9" high antenna, brings 2-way, in-motion capability to high speed trains while RaySat's SpeedRay 3000 (above) promises similar benefits for consumers for an estimated $3,495 (available summer 2006).

More resources include the US Department of Transportation, State Transportation Web Sites, ITS DOT, ITS America, ITS On-Line and Bernie Wagenblast's excellent Transportation Communications Newsletter.