The fuel consumption density due to phantom traffic jam

Abstract

In the research, we quantified the amount of fuel consumed during a phantom traffic jam and compare it with that without the jam. We adoptd an approach from a microscopic perspective where the vehicle dynamics were closely observed and monitored. The required traffic dynamics data were obtained from a previous work where the phantom traffic jam was reproduced in a laboratory setting. The test involved 22 vehicles moving a circular road with a circumferential length of 230 meters. During the test, each driver was requested to drive at the velocity of 30°C;km/h. Considering the proximity of each vehicle to its leader, the phantom traffic jam was instantly produced in the traffic flow. The test allowed us to quantify each vehicle acceleration, velocity, and position, from which the fuel consumption rate could be estimated at each time instant. We compared the fuel consumed by the vehicle for crossing two road segments with and without the phantom traffic jam. Utilizing a numerical integration, we quantified the required fuel for each segment. The result suggests that the vehicle during phantom traffic jam may consume the fuel as much as thrice of those without the jam.