It doesn't matter how much money is spent on a brand-new car, taking it on the highway requires one of those little white transponders to pay for those pesky tolls. That is unless the owner wants to stop at every toll and pay with cash or change. Tolls are extremely prevalent in some parts of the US and it is almost a necessity to have one of these ugly transponders stuck on the window. We can't believe that an automaker hasn't come along to fix this issue before, but Audi has finally come up with a clever solution.
Audi has announced that it will be the first car company to offer vehicle-integrated toll payment technology on select vehicles starting this year. This latest example of Audi's vehicle-to-infrastructure technology adds to existing projects such as a system that can tell drivers when traffic lights are about to change. Audi will integrate toll transponders into the rearview mirror, which will work with tolls roads in the US, Canada, and Mexico. This will free up space on the windshield and eliminate the tacky white transponder that is the current standard for paying tolls. It will also unify tolls in the US, so that driver's won't require several passes on cross country trips.
Drivers can register their car onto a current toll account or create a new one and set up payment options. From the account menu, driver's can add funds onto their toll account as well as set up an auto pay function when funds get low. This may not be the most headline-grabbing piece of technology, but it is just another way that Audi is fixing the little issues plaguing everyday drivers. Audi hasn't announced which models will get this new toll transponder first, but we expect it to be available on all models soon.
