Platooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten years time – and the EU-financed SARTRE project has carried out the first successful demonstration of its technology at the Volvo Proving Ground close to Gothenburg, Sweden.
Vehicle platooning, as envisaged by the SARTRE project, is a convoy of vehicles where a professional driver in a lead vehicle is closely followed by several cars. Each car measures the distance, speed and direction and adjusts to the car in front. All vehicles are totally detached and can leave the procession at any time. But once in the platoon, drivers can relax and do other things while the platoon proceeds towards its long haul destination.
“SARTRE is a very exiting project with future possibilities to save fuel and improve traffic safety”, says Carl Johan Almqvist, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks.
The tests carried out included a lead truck and single following car, which smoothly follows the lead vehicle around the country road test track.
This is the first time the EU-financed development teams in SARTRE try their systems together outside the simulators.
“This is a major milestone for this important European research programme,” says Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd. “Platooning offers the prospect of improved road safety, better road space utilisation, improved driver comfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. With the combined skills of its participating companies, SARTRE is making tangible progress towards the realisation of safe and effective road train technology”.
Safer and more convenient
Platooning is designed to improve a number of things: Firstly road safety, since it minimizes the human factor that is the cause of at least 80 percent of the road accidents. Secondly, it saves fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions with up to 20 percent. It is also convenient for the drivers in the following cars because it frees up time for other matters than driving. And since the vehicles will travel at highway speed with only a few meters gap, platooning may also relieve traffic congestion.
The technology development is well underway and can most likely go into production in a few years time. What may take substantially longer time are the public’s acceptance and the legislation where 25 EU governments must pass similar laws.
Platooning is designed to improve a number of things: Firstly road safety, since it minimizes the human factor that is the cause of at least 80 percent of the road accidents. Secondly, it saves fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions with up to 20 percent. It is also convenient for the drivers in the following cars because it frees up time for other matters than driving. And since the vehicles will travel at highway speed with only a few meters gap, platooning may also relieve traffic congestion.
The technology development is well underway and can most likely go into production in a few years time. What may take substantially longer time are the public’s acceptance and the legislation where 25 EU governments must pass similar laws.
“A professional, well trained, driver leading the road train is an important factor to secure safety in the project,” says Erik Nordin at Volvo Technology.
In addition, the professional Volvo truck driver is supported by state of the art safety technology – such as Alco lock, driver alert support, forward collision warning and electronic stability programs that support driver attention and minimise accidents.
“Volvo Technology is also working with the development and installation of different types of aids that will further increase traffic safety,” concludes Erik Nordin.
January 17, 2011
About the SARTRE project:
The SARTRE project stands for Safe Road Trains for the Environment. Part-funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 programme, SARTRE is led by Ricardo UK Ltd and comprises collaboration between the following additional participating companies: Idiada and Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institut für Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) of Germany, and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden.
SARTRE aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage through the development of safe environmental road trains (platoons). Systems are being developed in prototype form that will facilitate the safe adoption of road trains on un-modified public highways with full interaction with non-platoon vehicles.
The project is addressing the three cornerstone transportation issues of environment, safety and congestion while at the same time encouraging driver acceptance through the prospect of increased "driver comfort".