A unique group of car and telecommunications firms have today announced they are clubbing together to begin work on new intelligent transport technologies capable of limiting congestion and optimising journeys to keep carbon emissions as low as possible.

Partially funded by the government-backed ITS Centre of Excellence for Transport Telematics and Sustainable Mobility (InnovITS), the research group brings together Land Rover, Orange Business Services, the Ordnance Survey mapping agency, automotive technology specialist Ricardo and the Transport Research Laboratory.

The project aims to develop advanced vehicles that "utilise technologies such as GPS and telemetry to improve fuel efficiency and emissions".

In particular, Ricardo and Land Rover plan to work on new systems that aim to enhance the efficiency of hybrid engines by exploiting control systems that are aware of the vehicle's surroundings and automatically adapt the mode of engine operation depending on upcoming gradients, junctions and known areas of congestion.

Orange and Ordnance Survey, meanwhile, will lead the telematics and mapping part of the project, which will see them exploit their GPS networks to provide vehicles with richer information that will help them optimise fuel economy and lower emissions. The TRL will contribute throughout the project and lead the testing and assessment phase.

Tom Robinson, senior product group manager for control and electronics at Ricardo, said that the integration of in-car technology and real-time traffic management systems was essential for tackling UK congestion, estimated to cost the economy up to £20bn a year. "A two-part system that looks at the way vehicles are engineered and routed as well as how our roads are monitored and managed offers a realistic long-term pathway to help alleviate the UK’s fuel emissions and reduce congestion," he added.

Anthony Keyworth, director of products at Orange Business Services, said that the coalition provided a good example of how different vertical businesses needed to co-operate in order to tackle environmental challenges.