Towards higher efficiency and less consumption: Control Strategy and Simulation for CAV platooning

Abstract

Platooning is the application of autonomous driving technology to provide a freight transportation solution. It can improve the efficiency of freight transportation, save energy and reduce consumption, which are the major concerns of freight transportation. Configuration strategies are sets of rules for vehicles joining a platoon. Two types of configuration strategies are proposed in this paper, namely fixed platoon configuration strategies (Fixed-PCS) and flexible platoon configuration strategies (Flexible-PCS). In order to verify the impact of these strategies on freight efficiency and energy reductions, an energy consumption model is designed and performed. A discussion about the maximum platoon length and a design of platoon configuration strategies in connected and autonomous driving scenarios are presented. For freight vehicles, an agent-based simulation model is established, in which the efficiency and consumption evaluation indicators are used to measure the platooning effect under different traffic densities. The results show that in low-density traffic flow, the application of Flexible-PCS can improve the average speed on freeway in addition to reducing the average number of lane changes. The relationship between platoon length and energy consumption at different traffic flow densities are plotted, and recommendations on the optimal platoon lengths under different traffic flow densities are proposed.