The North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) has partnered with Kapsch TrafficCom to deploy what it describes as the world’s first production-level tolling system based on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology on the Triangle Expressway (NC-540) near Raleigh.
The project moves connected-vehicle tolling beyond trials and into live operations by merging data from roadside legacy tolling with connected-vehicle messages into a single, billable transaction.
NCTA and Kapsch said the phased rollout will start with roadside unit installation and testing with onboard-equipped vehicles before back-office integration enables invoicing directly from vehicle-generated transactions.
Kapsch framed the initiative as a step change in toll collection and transport funding, arguing that CV-based tolling can reduce leakage while underpinning wider safety and efficiency features as connected cars become standard.
It also linked the approach to the US Highway Trust Fund’s long-term gap, citing a projected US$280bn shortfall by 2035.
“We’re building a true platform for the future,” said JB Kendrick, Kapsch TrafficCom North America president. NCTA executive director JJ Eden called the programme an “evolution, not a revolution”, aimed at making paying a toll “as simple as any other point-of-sale transaction”.
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In a parallel strand of work, the NCTA is preparing an in-vehicle payment pilot with Volvo Car USA, Mastercard, Microsoft, Red Hat and Cognizant that will allow drivers of compatible Volvos with Google-built-in infotainment to pay tolls automatically without a transponder.
Up to 200 participants are expected to join the late-2025 trial across NCTA toll roads. The authority positions the pilot as an early V2X step that simplifies the customer experience by integrating toll payment into the dashboard.
NCTA and its partners are set to brief attendees on the in-vehicle payment pilot at the NC Transportation Summit in Raleigh on 4 September 2025. The summit runs 3–4 September at the Raleigh Convention Center.
The Kapsch-NCTA collaboration builds on work dating back to 2017 to modernise the Triangle Expressway’s electronic tolling – a corridor that has continued to expand, with a new section opening to traffic in late 2024.
Kapsch said the earlier programme delivered the first multi-protocol tolling facility in the USA, setting a foundation for today’s convergence of connected-vehicle data and roadside systems.
While North Carolina already operates all-electronic tolling under the NC Quick Pass brand, the two initiatives signal a shift toward vehicle-native payments and standards-based connectivity that could scale beyond state lines as CV penetration rises.
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