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Audi, the company that climbed Pikes Superlative in a self-driving motorcar, continues to make technology breakthroughs. This month Audi appear it will exist the first company to integrate a toll tag reader into the rearview mirror system. It means no more toll tag to fall off your windshield when the suction caps let go, block part of the windshield view, occasionally get stolen, or more oftentimes, get borrowed by a family member and not returned to your auto.

Audi calls information technology the Intelligent Toll Module. The company says ITM works on all toll roads in North America: Usa, Canada, and – if you tin can go past the wall – United mexican states. The how-much-it-costs, which-cars-it'south-on details volition be announced afterward.

How the Intelligent Toll Module Works

Audi is working with Gentex, the Michigan company that has leadership share in self-dimming rearview mirrors. Gentex is growing a a seemingly article business concern (rear- and side-view mirrors) by embedding other technologies within: LCDs for broad-bending rear views, garage door opener radios, telematics buttons, and microphones. Here, the guts of a toll tag reader are embedded inside the mirror.

There are dozens of branded toll tag systems, such as E-ZPass, FasTrack, and SunPass. Some are interoperable. For others, including those outside the United states of america, Audi lets the driver arrange settings via MMI, Audi'due south center stack display interface. That includes the option to disable the ability of the tag to be read if the driver prefers to pay a toll manually, or use another transponder such as a company toll tag. It might be possible to change the tag to indicate when you lot're towing a trailer.

Some other Arrow in Audi's V2I Quiver

Audi describes the ITM every bit office of its "expand[ing] vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) offerings." V2I means the car might communicate with traffic signs, construction detour barricades, no-left-plough indicators, lift-bridges nearly to open up, and traffic lights. Some communication is bi-directional; the rest is one-fashion just. For Audi ITM, two-manner would mean the vehicle gets a tag-read message from the automated readers overhead.

Technically, ITM described equally a V2I tool is accurate, although embedding an E-ZPass module inside your rearview mirror isn't quite at the level of Audi'southward Traffic Light Information module that lets y'all know of lights about to turn red ahead of you, too as lights about to turn greenish so y'all tin can prepare to get underway over again. It uses Audi Connect cellular telematics to become low-cal phase data (that is, dark-green, yellow, red, and time to side by side stage alter). Back in 2022, that was the first-ever V2I tool deployed in a product motorcar, Audi says.

TBD: How Much for Audi ITM?

At  this point, Audi has left unanswered several details, other than that ITM will be bachelor this year. It's not articulate what cars ITM will be offered on. It's uncertain if Audi will wait for all-new cars (every half-dozen-7 years, typically), mid-life refreshes (at 3-4 years), or if all Audis get ITM at the next model year.

Then there's as well the matter of cost. If you lose your toll tag reader, it costs about $25 for a replacement. And so will Audi peg the cost at $25, double or quadruple the price, or sell information technology at, say $250? Volition it be part of a $two,500 convenience packet with pool lamps, swipe-foot-to-open trunk, and ITM? Remember, Audi's high-end compatriots, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, accuse $300 and $350, respectively, for the Apple CarPlay that almost other automakers include as role of the radio head unit.

If your next car isn't an Audi, or if the Audi ITM gets pricy, in that location's another solution: Several states including Florida and Texas upshot toll tags that are nothing more than small stickers that are fastened with a permanent adhesive. Like near states' inspection stickers, removing them destroys them. They're so small they don't interfere with visibility.