2024: the year that TomTom Orbis Maps went global. There's a lot to reflect on and even more to come. In this interview with TomTom CMO and Co-founder Corinne Vigreux we find out more.

Traffic is one of the most interesting modern phenomena. It ebbs and flows, acting like a part of a living organism, the lifeblood of a city, creating a pulse as it courses through its asphalt veins. As for any living body, keeping healthy should be the number one priority, and taming traffic to keep our cities healthy is no simple matter. Traffic doesn’t always react as you might expect, it’s unpredictable. As such, there are many paradoxes associated to it. Induced Demand is one that we should all know about because it can change how we think about driving, infrastructure and making mobility more sustainable.

There was a time when gathering and analyzing data was a struggle. In 1880 the American census took eight years to compile and analyze. Thanks to computers and specialist analysis software, it now takes well under a year to gather, compile and declare census results. Traffic data has followed a similar trajectory, and today, errors are minimized, and data can be collected, analyzed and put to use within minutes rather than months or years.

Efficient driving isn’t just for those focused on being eco-friendly; it’s becoming a necessity for us all. With fuel costs and environmental concerns rising, we need to be more mindful of not just what we drive, but how we drive it — our wallets and the planet will thank us. We should all strive to drive more efficiently, but what exactly is it and how can it save us money while helping the environment?

Back in 20th-century Britain, it was common to see Milk Floats – those small, noisy trucks delivering fresh milk to doorsteps every morning. These little trucks went electric, and thus silent, in the mid-20th century, setting the stage for today’s short-haul electric fleets. While Milk Floats are a thing of the past, the need to electrify transport fleets is more crucial than ever to combat air pollution and reduce fossil fuel costs.

Cargo bikes are having a moment. Around the world, in cities big and small, you’ll find couriers, families and businesses taking to the streets on bicycles designed to carry everything you can imagine. But the things we see as new and modern often have deep roots. Cargo bikes, it turns out, have been around in one form or another for over a century. So why are we seeing them everywhere now? And what can we learn from their past? This is the story of how cargo bikes have persevered through the years and continue to shape our cities.

As the world changes, so does the way we move. As cities grow, daily commutes also grow, elevating traffic volume, congestion and pollution. Add to this, time loss and higher fuel expenses for drivers. To understand how to find a sustainable solution for this problem, we spoke with Ralf-Peter Schäfer, TomTom’s VP Product Management of Traffic, Travel and Routing.

The very first Olympics event I was aware of was the Moscow Olympics. It was 1980, and the Cold War was going strong. The US and many other countries boycotted the event, protesting the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. While this gave a political backdrop to the Games, the event, after all, was about sports. For me, it was also about the crowd: the Moscow Olympics had more than 5,000 athletes and hundreds of thousands of visitors. 

It’s that time of the year again. As you pack your suitcases and head out on your summer vacation, we spoke to over 2,400 of your fellow European travelers to find out the latest travel trends. Whether you like following the crowd or heading off the beaten track, we're here to help you prepare for everything that awaits you this summer.

Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is making major inroads in Europe. But how does it make roads safer, how do maps contribute to its effectiveness and is there a case for making it a global standard? We sat down with road safety expert David Ward to see what’s next for ISA tech and regulation.

The mobility industry is undergoing one of its biggest shifts. Carmakers are evolving how they work, demanding new technologies and redefining relationships with their partners, while this creates waves of opportunity it’s not without its challenges. We sat down with Andrew Hart, CEO of industry research firm SBD Automotive, to learn more and understand how TomTom Orbis Maps is playing an important role in defining and supporting this transition.

Travel to any big city and you’ll see construction. New roads, new buildings. We are familiar with the building up. But what needs attention is the building down – changing existing infrastructure through the reallocation of space at eye level. Think about Paris’ plan to ban cars, freeing up space that can be (re)used, or up-cycled, for new purposes. Is this the overlooked challenge cities have been facing around the world?

Counterpoint Research is a global technology market research firm specializing in the technology, media and telecommunications industries. As part of its ongoing analysis, it recognizes TomTom as an industry leader when it comes to in-vehicle experience, digital cockpit technology and navigation. We sat down with one of the organization’s founders to learn more.

The latest TomTom Traffic Index has arrived. Covering traffic trends for 2023, this year’s edition surveys 387 cities around the globe and covers metrics such as congestion, average travel time, the impact of rush hour and the environmental impact of congestion in our cities. It also tracks the cost of driving which, in a world struck by an increase in the cost of living, is becoming an important consideration for many motorists. Here are the headlines from this year’s report.

Traffic is a universal challenge. Roads and cities all over the world must constantly manage congestion and traffic to allow vehicles and people to move freely, with ease. While lowering stress might be the first thing most of us worry about in this context, managing traffic is part of the much bigger picture of sustainability, emissions and the livability of our cities and towns. Technology is one of the biggest tools to tackle this challenge, so we spoke to one of TomTom’s traffic experts to find out more.

What springs to mind when you think about Christmas delivered, wrapped and under the tree? The North Pole big chief perhaps (if you’re under ten), or what about the mobilized army of truck drivers, all powering through from Black Friday to Christmas Eve? Here we look at a changed retail landscape in 2023, the impact on transportation, and we talk to three HGV drivers – the real heroes of the season – to discover what it’s really like getting Christmas from A to Z.