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Ford's shown off a very unusual benefit of connected cars technology - being able to avoid getting snarled up by multiple red lights on the way home.
As part of a wider scheme showcasing cars that can talk to each other and an 'intelligent' infrastructure, Ford claims you could take the kids to school, commute to work or drive across town on errands without ever hitting a red light.
The ability to 'ride a green wave' home would come via Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory software, which uses information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to display to the driver the best speed to travel at to hit a green - rather than a red - light. As it is said we drivers can spend up to two days a year waiting idly at traffic-light junctions, this could be a major boon.
Ford is trialling the technology in Europe and similar systems already exist to allow cyclists in eco-cities Copenhagen and Amsterdam to avoid stopping at lights. And if you can't avoid stopping at a red light, the Ford software shows how long it will be until the signal switches to green again.
Other connected tech Ford is working on includes Emergency Electronic Brake Lights, which warn when a vehicle up ahead suddenly brakes hard - even if the incident occurs out of sight - up to a distance of 500 metres; a system to warn drivers when another vehicle is blocking the junction ahead; another to inform when an ambulance, police car or fire truck is approaching; and another that prioritises vehicles arriving at intersections without traffic signs or traffic lights.
Anything else?
"There's not much worse after a long day than to hit one red light after another on the drive home, and be forced to stop and start again at every junction," said Christian Ress, supervisor, Driver Assist Technologies, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. "Enabling drivers to 'ride the green wave' also means a smoother, continuous journey that helps to improve the flow of traffic and provide significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption."