NEC Builds Intelligent Highway Test Course

02/05/97

Nikkei English News reported that NEC inaugurated a 580m test course for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies in Gotenba, Kanagawa Prefecture. NEC said it will use the course to test Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) techniques that enable drivers to pass through toll gates without stopping, and Automated Highway Systems (AHS) that would automatically control cars.

In ETC tests, driver data like the amount of tolls prepaid and frequency of highway use will be written onto an IC card mounted on an experimental vehicle. As the vehicle passes through a toll gate on the test course, a detecting system will read information from the IC card via radio and automatically collect tolls. NEC said it will also test sudden braking on low-friction tiles that will help develop AHS control technology.

The company plans to invest a total of 10 billion yen over five years for R&D on ITS. The company expects a 100 billion yen return on products arising from that investment.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel