Audi e-tron electric crossover SUV to feature built-in toll transponder

Goodbye E-ZPass. Adios TollTag. Sayonara FasTrak. Peace out, ExpressPass. Audi said Monday that it will install on its upcoming electric crossover SUV a rearview mirror with a built-in toll transponder capable of communicating with some toll roads in the U.S.

The 2020 Audi e-tron crossover SUV will debut Sept. 17 in San Francisco, where toll roads such as the Golden Gate Bridge use California's FasTrak system.

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Audi said in a statement that its system won't be compatible with every electronic toll reader in the U.S. The automaker said that drivers will be able to turn the toll transponder on and off or set it to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) mode from the vehicle's infotainment system.

The toll transponder is built by Gentex, which supplies Audi with auto-dimming rearview mirrors.

Audi's announcement comes nearly 30 years after the nation's first electronic toll transponders were installed on the Dallas North Tollway in Texas. Over the next 20 years, the North Texas Tollway Authority dismantled conventional toll booths in favor of electronic readers mounted high above the pavement.

More than half of all states have at least some form of tolling, whether it's dedicated toll roads or HOV lanes that charge during peak commuting hours.