The toll road of the future will be “virtual”, without roadside infrastructure.

The cost of constructing an infrastructure based system is too high for large (nationwide) toll charging systems. A tolling device is therefore installed in vehicles and charges the road user automatically while driving. Depending on business rules and legislation, the OBU is equipped with several sensors (e.g. GNSS, gyroscopes). The toll amount is calculated autonomously and transmitted via the cellular communication network or alternative communication methods to the back office. There is no interaction with any roadside infrastructure required.

The Satellite Tolling System is based on GPS/Galileo positioning and cellular communication systems. This solution allows easy adaptation to new and changing tolling requirements. The OBU autonomously determines the position of the vehicle, identifies road sections subject to toll according to predefined rules, calculates the charge if required inside the OBU, and transmits the result to the toll centre. Therefore, EFKON has developed an appropriate and highly reliable way point recognition method. Communication between OBU and the road user charging centre is executed via cellular communication (GSM/GPRS). Microwave or Infrared DSRC modules are used to support interoperability with existing local tolling solutions and for system enforcement.

The toll calculation system may operate on a set of basic parameters, for instance:

• Place / Time (weekend, time of day, etc.)
• Vehicle Class (Type, weight, axles, etc.)
• Distance Driven
• Type/Zone (Motorway, city centre, industrial zone, etc.)
• Environmental issue (e.g. current air quality, pollution)

Basically all business models can be realised with satellite based toll charging systems. Examples are:

• Corridor based pricing
• Area based pricing
• Time based pricing
• Congestion based pricing
  

Efkon's Satellite Tolling Solution comprises the following subcomponents:

• GNSS Onboard Unit
• Electronic Tolling Back Office (ETBO)

• Vehicle Class (Weight, Environment, Trailers, Axles, etc.)
• Distance Driven
• Place Driven (Corridor, Zone, Coordinate, Change of Tariff after Crossing Borders etc.)
• Time (Time of Day, etc.)
• Other (e.g. current air quality) Basically all business models can be implemented:
• Corridor based
• Cordon based
• Wide area pricing
• Congestion pricing