Design of an Intelligent Platoon Transit System towards Transportation Electrification

Abstract

The full implementation of electric public transport is a key step for the transport industry to move toward electrification and achieve carbon neutrality. However, in the face of time-varying demands and high-quality service requirements, traditional transit systems are difficult to ascend as the preferred mode of travel due to the constraints of fixed vehicle capacity and multiline transfers. With the advent of modular vehicle technology, it is becoming more realistic to develop an entirely new transportation system based on electric modular vehicles (EMVs). This study proposes a novel intelligent platoon transit system (IPTS), and its overall concept and operating mode are elaborated at a strategic level. In particular, the electrical, modular, and autonomous platoon transit system should be designed to achieve adaptive adjustment of capacity and possible en route transfers, which significantly improves the convenience, flexibility, and economy of public transport. We also design three application scenarios with varying demands during multistage development to bridge the gap in traditional buses. The key issues and case applicability of the three scenarios are discussed.