Audi's US unit said the e-tron SUV, which makes its global debut in San Francisco on 17 September, will be the VW group premium brand's first vehicle to launch with integrated toll payment technology.
The Integrated Toll Module (ITM) is a transponder built into the vehicle's rear view mirror, allowing drivers to access some toll roads in the US and in Canada.
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ITM is a claimed Audi first in vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) technology, allowing the car to communicate and interact with its environment.
As such [stick-on-windscreen] transponder technology is also common across Europe, in countries like France in Spain with many toll motorways, just-auto expects this feature to also be offered this side of the Atlantic.
Audi said: "ITM is one of the many integrated digital tools that will allow e-tron owners to go electric without compromise. The mirror-based toll payment solution gives convenient access to the country's toll roads while helping to eliminate windscreen clutter and the need to manage multiple toll accounts. Drivers will be able to adjust module settings through the vehicles MMI, turning the ITM on and off as well as changing the occupant settings for HOV/HOT [high occupancy/minimum number of passengers] lanes."
First units of the five passenger mid size e-tron SUV, are expected in US showrooms in the first part of 2019. It's the first of three battery-electric vehicles the automaker plans to launch by 2020, with nearly 30% of US buyers anticipated to 'go electric' by 2025.
ITM was developed by Gentex Corporation, which supplies automatic-dimming mirrors for all Audi vehicles. The ITM technology is compatible with existing tolling agencies nationwide in the US and can be registered with a driver's current account, new account, or a nationwide tolling account.
