The SARTRE Project Safe Road Trains for the Environment
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The SARTRE project http://sartre-project.eu/en/Sidor/default.aspx[2016-05-20 11:10:36] Login | Site map | Conditions Home About Partners Workplan Press Publications & Deliverables FAQ Contact © SARTRE-Consortium - E-mail [email protected] SARTRE Project Financed by EU FP7 Press » Read more... If you are a member of the press, this is were you can find pressrelases and other related material about SARTRE. Articles Archive » Read more... Read about SARTRE in media. Workplan » Read more... Read about the projects timeplan and workpackages. The SARTRE Project Safe Road Trains for the Environment, funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 programme, aims to develop strategies and technologies to allow vehicle platoons to operate on normal public highways with significant environmental, safety and comfort benefits. Sartre is led by Ricardo UK Ltd and comprises a collaboration between the following additional participating companies: Idiada and Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institut for Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) of Germany, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden. Play animation > click on the picture The project aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage by developing of environmental roadtrains called platoons. Systems will be developed facilitating the safe adoption of road trains on un-modified public highways with interaction with other traffic. A scheme will be developed whereby a lead vehicle with a professional driver will take responsibility for a platoon. Following vehicles will enter a semi-autonomous control mode that allows the driver of the following vehicle to do other things that would normally be prohibited for reasons of safety; for example, operate a phone, reading a book or watching a movie. [17/09/2012] [17/09/2012] [30/05/2012] [28/05/2012] [07/02/2012] Video describing the current project phase in SARTRE. News Press release: Partners conclude after the SARTRE project » Read more... The SARTRE road train video » Read more... Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012 » Read more... Press release: SARTRE road train première on public roads » Read more... SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in high speed » Read more...
Transcript of The SARTRE Project Safe Road Trains for the Environment
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The SARTRE Project Safe Road Trains for the Environment, funded by the European Commission underthe Framework 7 programme, aims to develop strategies and technologies toallow vehicle platoons to operate on normal public highways with significantenvironmental, safety and comfort benefits.
Sartre is led by Ricardo UK Ltd and comprises a collaboration between the followingadditional participating companies: Idiada and Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institutfor Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) of Germany, SP Technical Research Institute ofSweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden.
Play animation > click on the picture
The project aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage bydeveloping of environmental roadtrains called platoons.
Systems will be developed facilitating the safe adoption of road trains on un-modifiedpublic highways with interaction with other traffic.
A scheme will be developed whereby a lead vehicle with a professional driver willtake responsibility for a platoon. Following vehicles will enter a semi-autonomouscontrol mode that allows the driver of the following vehicle to do other things thatwould normally be prohibited for reasons of safety; for example, operate a phone,reading a book or watching a movie.
[17/09/2012]
[17/09/2012]
[30/05/2012]
[28/05/2012]
[07/02/2012]
Video describing the current projectphase in SARTRE.
News
Press release: Partners concludeafter the SARTRE project
» Read more...
The SARTRE road train video
» Read more...
Video: SARTRE public road testMay 2012
» Read more...
Press release: SARTRE road trainpremière on public roads
» Read more...
SARTRE Road trains - tests withseveral vehicles in high speed
» Read more...
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, the concept phase, isnow completePress release: Film documents first year ofprogress in the development of safe roadtrain technologySartre participates at the ITS WorldCongress 2010. Three technical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1 released. Watchthe film - click on the press tabConference on Personal Rapid TransitPRT@LHR 2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow. Technical paperpublished.Press release: First demonstration ofSARTRE vehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - tests with severalvehicles in high speedPress release: SARTRE road train premièreon public roadsVideo: SARTRE public road test May 2012Press release: Partners conclude after theSARTRE projectThe SARTRE road train video
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About the SARTRE project
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About the SARTRE projectSafe Road Trains for the Environment; developing strategies and technologies toallow vehicle platoons to operate on normal public highways with significantenvironmental, safety and comfort benefits.
SARTRE, funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 programme,aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage through thedevelopment of safe environmental road trains (platoons). Systems will be developedin prototype form that will facilitate the safe adoption of road trains on un-modifiedpublic highways with full interaction with non-platoon vehicles.
The programme will address the 3 cornerstones of transportation issues, environment,safety and congestion while at the same time encouraging driver acceptance throughthe increased “driver comfort”.The programme is addressing a concept that as a whole will facilitate a step change inthe use of private transportation. The consideration of how platoons interact withother non-platoon users is a critical facet of the programme. This programme has asignificant element of research that is looking into this aspect and this will provideclear strategies that will be implemented in the prototype system.
A further unique element of the programme is the interaction between the leadvehicle and the following vehicles and how this can lead to a new business model forroad use. I.e. following vehicles may be charged to join a platoon. The introductionof platooning on normal roads with private vehicles will achieve environmentalbenefits (with an estimated 20% emissions reduction), safety benefits (reduction ofaccidents caused by driver action) and a reduction on congestion (smoother trafficflow with potential consequential increase in throughput).
Project Partners
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Project PartnersThe SARTRE project has seven core partners:
Tecnalia Research & Innovation
IDIADA Automotive Technology SA
IKA (Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge, RWTH Aachen University)
Ricardo UK Ltd
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Volvo Car Corporation
Volvo Technology AB
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Workplan
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WorkplanThe SARTRE project is organised in six work packages.
Time PlanThe SARTRE project starts in September 2009 and ends in September 2012.The time plan for the different work packets are defined in months (M) from projectstart.
WP1: Management
The objective of WP1 is management of the entire project.
The management task will countinue during the whole project time, from M1 to M36.
WP2: Concept Definition
The objective of this work package is to conduct all preparation work, which isnecessary in order to start with the implementation of the system. This includesconcept definition, analysis of the platooning strategies and human behaviour, safetyanalysis and the specification of the system to be implemented. This requires thedefinition of what are the components and modules composing the system and howthey are connected on each prototype vehicle, and what are the tasks for eachcomponent or module.
The Concept definition task will start in M1 and end in M9.
WP3: Implementation
The objective here is to develop and integrate a prototype system that meets therequirements defined in WP2. This includes the integration of sensor systems toprovide a view of the vehicle envelope, the development and integration of the controlmechanisms that provide the longitudinal and latitudinal control of the followingvehicles and the development of the overall platoon manager.
To facilitate this it is critical that the communication system to be used between thevehicles in the road-train is integrated in an appropriate and robust manner. Thisincludes communication between the leader vehicle and the followers and alsocommunication between following vehicles. Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication isalso considered and concerns mainly the lead vehicle.
The Impementation task will start in M5 and end in M27.
WP4: Validation
WP4 will perform a complete validation of the system developed in the WP3 throughphysical testing in laboratories and proving grounds with the final objective ofensuring the correct operation of the subsystems and the optimal integration of them.
Additional objectives can be foreseen:
identify the suitable tools for the evaluation of the new system developedquantify the problems which might appear under real / close to real trafficconditionsprovide guidelines to solve these problemsensure the integration of systems and boundary conditionsevaluate the added value of the complete system in terms of fuel consumptionimprovement.
Workplan
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The Validation task will start in M26 and end in M35.
WP5: Assessment
This work package will integrate all the activities related to the further impact of thesystem being developed, with the objective of showing the need of implementingthem as useful systems for handling safety and emissions.
Three sub-objectives are:
knowing the commercial impact of the system and the possible means ofimplement itquantifying the impact of the system in real traffic situations, from theinfrastructure and the emissions points of viewdefining a plan including specific policies to exploit the system being developed
The Assessment task will start in M30 and en in M36.
WP6: Dissemination
This work package will focus on bringing information and results of the project topublic awareness. Besides, seminars and workshops with all relevant stakeholdergroups will be held throughout the duration of SARTRE.
Objectives are:
To bring information and results of the SARTRE project to public awarenessTo establish fruitful discussions with various users and target groupsTo obtain feedback from users and target groupsTo prepare Technology Implementation Plans
The dissemination task will continue during the entire project.
Press
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2012-09-17
SARTRE final partner release.pdf
2012-05-28Press release SARTRE road train première on public roads
2011-01-17
Press release 20110117 First_test_platooning doc.pdfLink to press images>
2010-11-24Car_Trains_press_release.pdf
2009-10-22
Car_Trains_press_release_ENG.pdf
SARTRE Publications and Deliverables
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PublicationsA. Dávila, A. Freixas, E. Aramburu, "Making the best out of aerodynamics: Platoons",SAE 2013, Detroit, USA, April 16-18, 2013
C. Bergenhem, H. Pettersson, E. Coelingh, C. Englund, S. Shladover, S. Tsugawa,"Overview of Platooning Systems", 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 22-26thOctober 2012
E. Chan, P. Gilhead, P. Jelinek, P. Krejci, T. Robinson , "Cooperative control of SARTREautomated platoon vehicles", in Proceedings of the 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna,22-26 October 2012
Paper Presentation
J. Kotte, Q. Huang, A. Zlocki, "Impact of platooning on the traffic efficiency", inProceedings of the 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 22-26th October 2012
M. Larburu, A. Urquiza and J. Sanchez, "Safe road trains for the Environment(SARTRE): Validation of SARTRE Platoon service and the SARTRE HMI", in Proceedingsof the 19th ITS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, October 22-26, 2012
Eric Chan, "Overview of the SARTRE Platooning Project", SAE Technical Paper 2012-01-9019, 2012
A. Dávila and M. Nombela, "Platooning- Safe and Eco-friendly Mobility", SAE TechnicalPaper 2012-01-0488
E. Coelingh and S. Solyom, "All aboard the Robotic Road Train", IEEE Spectrum,November, 2012
S. Solyom and E. Coelingh, "Performance Limitations in Vehicle Platoon Control", inProceedings of the 15th IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference,Anchorage, USA , September 16-19, 2012
K. Karlsson, C. Bergenhem, E. Hedin, "Field Measurements of IEEE 802.11pCommunication in NLOS Environments for a Platooning Application", in Proceedings ofthe 76th Vehicular Technology Conference, Quebec, Canada, September 3-6, 2012
S. Solyom, E. Coelingh and B. Carlsson, "Performance Limitations for LongitudinalControl of Vehicle Platoons", in Proceedings of The 11th International Symposium onAdvanced Vehicle Control (AVEC), Seoul, Korea, September 9-12, 2012
C. Bergenhem, E. Hedin, D. Skarin, "Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for aPlatooning System", Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 48, 2012
A. Dávila and M. Nombela, "Platooning- Safe and Eco-friendly Mobility", AutoEventPoland 2012 (Lodz), June 19-20, 2012
E. Chan, P. Gilhead, P. Jelinek, P. Krejčí, "SARTRE cooperative control of fullyautomated platoon vehicles", in Proceedings of the 18th ITS World Congress, Orlando,USA, October 16-20, 2011
A. Dávila and M. Nombela, "SARTRE – Safe Road Trains for the Environment ReducingFuel Consumption through lower Aerodynamic Drag Coefficient", SAE Technical Paper2011-36-0060, 2011
Q. Huang and H. Zhong, "SARTRE: Safe road train for the environment", inProceedings of the Aachen Colloquium, Aachen, Germany, Oct 10-11, 2011
SARTRE Publications and Deliverables
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Q. Huang and H. Zhong, "SARTRE: Safe road train for the environment", inProceedings of the Aachen Colloquium, Beijing, China, Oct 10-11, 2011
T. Robinson, E. Chan, E. Coelingh, "Operating Platoons on Public Motorways: AnIntroduction to The SARTRE Platooning Programme", in Proceedings of the 17th ITSWorld Congress, Busan, Korea, October 25-29, 2010
Paper
C. Bergenhem, Q. Huang, A. Benmimoun, T. Robinson, "Challenges of Platooning onPublic Motorways", in Proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress, Busan, Korea,October 25-29, 2010
Paper
M. Larburu and J. Sanchez , "SAFE ROAD TRAINS FOR ENVIRONMENT: Humanfactors’ aspects in dual mode transport systems", in Proceedings of the 17th ITS WorldCongress, Busan, Korea, 25-29, 2010
Paper
A. Dávila, M. Nombela, "SARTRE: Safe Road Trains for the Environment", Conferenceon Personal Rapid Transit PRT@LHR, London Heathrow, September 21-23, 2010
Paper
Deliverables D4.3 Report on Fuel Consumption
SARTRE_4_003_PU.pdf
D5.1 Commercial Viability
SARTRE_5_001_PU.pdf
D5.2 Report on Infrastructure and Environment
SARTRE_5_002_PU.pdf
D5.3 Summary of Policies
SARTRE_5_003_PU.pdf
SARTRE Project Final Report
SARTRE_Final-Report.pdf
FAQ
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FAQTo the left you'll find a collection of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answersabout the SARTRE project, how it works and about the current status and the nextstep.
You may also download the SARTRE FAQ document by clicking on the link to theright.
SARTRE FAQ
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Contact
If you have any questions or are interested in further information about the project,please do not hesitate to contact us:
Coordinator
Eric Chan
RICARDO UK LIMITED
Cambridge Technical Centre
400 Science Park
Milton Road
Cambridge CB4 OWH
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1223 223200
Telefax: +44 1223 223300
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact
Jonny Vinter
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Box 857
SE-501 15 BORÅS
Sweden
Phone: +46 10 516 53 59
E-mail: [email protected]
Articles Archive
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Articles ArchiveFind articles about SARTRE in media. Disclaimer: The links on this page are not tobe considered as a part of the SARTRE project and only reflect external views ofthe project.
Date Media Article07/01/10 Forum for the
Future - GreenFutures
Can road trains cut congestion and emissionsin one?
06/01/10 Irish Times Motor related quiz. One of the questions areabout SARTRE
04/01/10 BelfastTelegraph
Motorway roadtrains to be tested
04/01/10 Autocar UK Eight-car 'roadtrain' trial begins
04/01/10 EdinburghEvening News
Test to start on cars that drive themselves
03/01/2010 TelegraphSelf-drive cars on roads within 10 years
03/01/2010 The Citizen Motorway roadtrains to be tested
15/12/2009 Borås Tidning Bilarna går som tåget
20/11/2009 Ny Teknik Om tio år kör bilen sig själv
20/11/2009 NRC HandelsbladFile_wordt_een_autotrein
11/11/2009 San FranciscoExaminer
Road Trains, the future is here, driving whilesleeping, emailing or putting on makeup
10/11/2009 Times SARTRE puts EU on the road train tofreedom
10/11/2009 Throttle EU and Ricardo launch SARTRE road-trainproject
10/11/2009 Wired News With Road Trains Highways Become PublicTransportation
09/11/2009 Bangkok Post Cars set to drive themselves
09/11/2009 BBC News Road Trains get ready to roll
06/11/2009 The WashingtonTimes
Cars that drive themselves indevelopment?
22/06/2009 Daily Mail
Lasers-guided cars could allow drivers to eat andsleep at the wheel while travelling in 70mphconvoys
Articles Archive
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News
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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Current news
Press release: Partners conclude after the SARTREprojectPlatooned traffic can be integrated with other road users onconventional highways» Read more...
The SARTRE road train video
» Read more...
Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012» Read more...
Press release: SARTRE road train première on public roads» Read more...
SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in highspeedVideo describing the current project phase in SARTRE.Scenes from testing of road train with 3 and 4 vehicles inup to 90 km/h at Hällered proving ground in Sweden.Scenes from stakeholder dialogue discussing how toimplement road trains.» Read more...
Image gallery released» Read more...
SARTRE FAQ releasedClick on the FAQ tab to read a collection of frequently asked questions and answersabout the SARTRE project» Read more...
Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooningPlatooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten yearstime – and the EU-financed SARTRE project has carried out the first successfuldemonstration of its technology at the Volvo Proving Ground close to Gothenburg,Sweden.» Read more...
Press release: Film documents first year of progress in the development of saferoad train technologyThe EU SARTRE project – which aims to develop, test and validate technology forvehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways – has todayreleased a documentary film describing the first year’s work of this multi-partnerresearch initiative» Read more...
Documentary film - part 1 released. Watch the film - click on the press tab» Read more...
Work package two, the concept phase, is now complete» Read more...
Sartre participates at the ITS World Congress 2010. Three technical papers arepublished» Read more...
Conference on Personal Rapid Transit PRT@LHR 2010, September 21-23rd, 2010,London Heathrow. Technical paper published.» Read more...
NewsKeep up to date on what's happening in the Sartre-project. Find latest news here.
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Kick off in Brussels» Read more...
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Press release: Partners conclude after the SARTRE project
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012
Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREproject
The SARTRE road train video
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Press release: Partners conclude after the SARTREprojectPlatooned traffic can be integrated with otherroad users on conventional highways
The SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment)project, involving seven European partners, hasbeen successfully finalised during 2012. This unique project highlights the potential forimplementing road trains on conventional highways,with platooned traffic operating in a mixedenvironment with other road users.
Thanks to the partners in the SARTRE road train project, you may soon be able totake your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road in your own car – leavingthe automated driving to modern technology. “The road train is the best of two worlds. You can enjoy all the multi-taskingpossibilities of public transportation behind the wheel of your own car. It’s the perfectcomplement to the true pleasure of driving a Volvo yourself,” says Erik Coelingh,Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Corporation.
Four-metre gap between vehicles
Volvo Car Corporation is the only participating car manufacturer in SARTRE. Theproject road train includes a manually driven lead truck, which is followed by one truckand three Volvo cars (S60, V60 and XC60). All the following vehicles are driven autonomously at speeds of up to 90 km/h – insome cases with no more than a four-metre gap between the vehicles – thanks to ablend of present and new technology.“The basic principle is that the following vehicles repeat the motion of the leadvehicle,” says Erik Coelingh. He adds:“To achieve this we have extended the camera, radar and laser technology used inpresent safety and support systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, City Safety, LaneKeeping Aid, Blind Sport Information System and Park Assist Pilot.” The most important new features that have been added to the vehicles are:• A prototype Human-Machine Interface including a touch screen for displaying vitalinformation and carrying out requests, such as joining and leaving the road train. • A prototype vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit that allows all vehicles within theplatoon to communicate with each other.
Smoother than public transportation
The long-term vision is to create a transport system where joining the road train willbe more attractive and comfortable than leaving your car behind and using publictransportation on long-distance trips.“Road train information and operation will of course be integrated in the Volvo Sensusinfotainment system when the technology is ready for production. Booking, joiningand leaving the road train must be easy and smooth,” says Erik Coelingh. He adds:“Another challenge is to create a system that handles the cost aspects. It is logicalthat taking the road train will include a fee or an income, depending on whether youown a lead vehicle or a following vehicle.”
Many benefits
Parallel with the attractive possibility to do other things while driving, the road trainbrings several other crucial advantages:• It promotes safer transport. A professional driver leads the vehicle platoon, forinstance in a truck. Inter-vehicle reaction response times are very quick thanks to theco-ordinated technology. • Environmental impact is reduced. The cars drive close to each other and reap thebenefit of lower air drag. • The reduced speed variations improve traffic flow, creating more efficiently utilisedroad capacity.“The energy-saving potential is 10-20 percent. This means that the journey to yourholiday destination doesn’t only become more comfortable and safe. The money yousave on reduced fuel consumption can be spent on lunch by the beach instead,”smiles Erik Coelingh.
Stakeholder dialogue
Recognizing that the challenge of implementing road train technology on Europe’shighways is not solely a technical matter, SARTRE also includes a major study toidentify what changes will be needed for vehicle platooning to become a reality. “There are several issues to solve before road trains become a reality on Europeanroads. As the leader in car safety, Volvo Car Corporation is particularly focused onemergency situations such as obstacle avoidance or sudden braking. However, we areconvinced that road trains have great potential,” concludes Erik Coelingh.
Press release
Press release: Partners conclude after the SARTRE project
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The SARTRE project stands for Safe Road Trains for the Environment. Part-funded bythe European Commission under the Framework 7 programme, SARTRE is led byRicardo UK Ltd and comprises collaboration between the following additionalparticipating companies: Applus+, IDIADA and Tecnalia of Spain, Institut fürKraftfahrzeuge (ika) of the RWTH Aachen University of Germany, and SP TechnicalResearch Institute of Sweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Group of Sweden.www.SARTRE-project.eu
The SARTRE road train video
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREproject
The SARTRE road trainvideo
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| About | News | The SARTRE road train video
The SARTRE road train videoSee the SARTRE road train video >
Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/video2012_05.aspx[2016-05-20 11:12:41]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroads
Video: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012
Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012
Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012Video: SARTRE public road test May 2012
Press release: SARTRE road train première on public roads
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease120604.aspx[2016-05-20 11:12:49]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeed
Press release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroads
Video: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Press release: SARTRE road train première on public roads
Press release: SARTRE road train première on publicroadsPress release SARTRE road train première on public roads
SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in high speed
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/roadtrains_video.aspx[2016-05-20 11:12:57]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ released
SARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeed
Press release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in high speed
SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in highspeedVideo describing the current project phase inSARTRE. Scenes from testing of road train with 3and 4 vehicles in up to 90 km/h at Hälleredproving ground in Sweden. Scenes fromstakeholder dialogue discussing how toimplement road trains.
Click here to see video >>
Kick off in Brussels
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Kickoff.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:05]
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NewsKick off in Brussels
Start of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Kick off in Brussels
Kick off in Brussels
Start of SARTRE project
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Start.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:13]
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NewsKick off in Brussels
Start of SARTRE project
SARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Start of SARTRE project
Start of SARTRE project
SARTRE website released
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Website.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:22]
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© SARTRE-Consortium - E-mail [email protected]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE project
SARTRE website released
Work package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | SARTRE website released
SARTRE website released
Work package two, the concept phase, is now complete
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/conceptphase.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:30]
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© SARTRE-Consortium - E-mail [email protected]
About
NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website released
Work package two, theconcept phase, is nowcomplete
Press release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Work package two, the concept phase, is now complete
Work package two, the concept phase, is now complete
Press release: Film documents first year of progress in the development of safe road train technology
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease20101124.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:38]
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About
NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcomplete
Press release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technology
Sartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Press release: Film documents first year of progress in the development of safe roadtrain technology
Press release: Film documents first year of progress inthe development of safe road train technologyThe EU SARTRE project – which aims to develop, test and validate technology forvehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways – has todayreleased a documentary film describing the first year’s work of this multi-partnerresearch initiative
Now a year into its three year programme of work, the SARTRE project aims todevelop and demonstrate road train technologies that will enable improvements intraffic flow and faster journey times, offering greater comfort to drivers, reducingaccidents and improving fuel consumption, hence lowering CO2 emissions. Most of thefirst year has been taken up with the concept phase, which has involved the sevenpartner consortium investigating the basic principles of a feasible platooning system.Issues investigated have included usage cases, human factors and behavioursassociated with platooning, core system parameters, and specification of prototypearchitecture and applications. In addition to providing some highly thought-provokingand useful results in its own right, this essential groundwork has enabled the team tomove on to the start of the implementation phase which will see the start of vehicletesting.
The SARTRE team is currently aiming to carry out the first development tests of asingle lead and following vehicle before the end of 2010. This first iteration of theSARTRE architecture will involve installation of the necessary hardware into the twovehicles, implementation of vehicle- to-vehicle communications, incorporation andintegration of sensors, and low level actuator and lateral and longitudinal control ofthe following vehicle. The crucial software integration needed for driving automationhas already commenced, and the first tests of a two vehicle train are expected to takeplace before the end of December. Subsequent phases of the work to be carried out in2011 and early 2012 will see the concept demonstrated on a five-vehicle road trainwith strategies handling interaction with other road users. In the eight minute documentary film released today and available for viewing via theSARTRE web site (www.SARTRE-project.eu) a range of interviews are provided by keyparticipants and stakeholders in the project. In addition to describing the SARTREconcept in detail, the film shows some of the simulator-based testing at Tecnalia,Bilbao, Spain, in which human factors in the implementation of road train technologyhave been investigated. A sample group of men and women of varying ages anddriving experience were tested in the simulator, which provides a 120 degree forwardfield of view via two LCD screens through which a total length of 18km of virtualmotorway can be driven. The simulator incorporates a steering wheel with forcefeedback, realistic manual/automatic transmission controls and a haptic seatinstallation which, together, provide a highly realistic virtual driving environment. Thissimulation work has enabled the team to assess in detail the response of drivers bothwhile participating in road trains and while driving independently in an environment inwhich road trains are operating. Further coverage is shown of some of the sensor andactuator development work and of the control architecture design that will support theimplementation phase over the coming months.
In addition to releasing the documentary film, the partners have also published threetechnical papers, covering specific details of the work of the concept phase, at the ITSWorld Congress held in October at Busan, Korea. These papers – which are alsoavailable on the SARTRE web site (www.SARTRE-project.eu) – have respectivelycovered the subjects of the challenges of platooning on public highways, an overviewof the approach to the development of platooning being taken by the SARTRE project,and the human factors challenges of implementing such a dual mode transportationsystem.
"The SARTRE documentary film and the technical papers delivered at the ITS WorldCongress provide an extremely useful insight into the project for those interested inthe potential for road train technology,” explains Tom Robinson, SARTRE projectcoordinator of Ricardo UK Ltd. “SARTRE is really pushing the boundaries in this aspectof ITS technology and is already providing some extremely useful and actionableresults. We now look forward to the next stage of the work of the project which willsee vehicle tests, initially of just of a single vehicle for sensor, actuator and controlsystem validation, then of a two vehicle platoon later this year and subsequentlythrough the remainder of the project, a multiple vehicle platoon in order to test,develop, validate and identify remaining implementation issues for the entire SARTREsystem.” MEDIA CONTACTS
Press release 20101124
Link to film
ITS WC challenges of platooningconcept and modelling
ITS WC Operating Platoons OnPublic Motorways
ITS WC Human factors’ aspects indual mode transport systems
Press release: Film documents first year of progress in the development of safe road train technology
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease20101124.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:38]
© SARTRE-Consortium - E-mail [email protected]
Ricardo UK Ltd (SARTRE project leader)Anthony SmithRicardo Media Office Tel: +44 (0)1273 382710E-mail: [email protected]
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (responsible for SARTRE project dissemination)Carl BergenhemTel: +46 (0) 10 516 55 53E-mail: [email protected]
Sartre participates at the ITS World Congress 2010. Three technical papers are published
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/ITSWorld.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:46]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technology
Sartre participates at theITS World Congress 2010.Three technical papers arepublished
Documentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Sartre participates at the ITS World Congress 2010. Three technical papers arepublished
Sartre participates at the ITS World Congress 2010.Three technical papers are published
Documentary film - part 1 released. Watch the film - click on the press tab
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Documentaryfilm.aspx[2016-05-20 11:13:55]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublished
Documentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tab
Conference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Documentary film - part 1 released. Watch the film - click on the press tab
Documentary film - part 1 released. Watch the film -click on the press tab
Conference on Personal Rapid Transit PRT@LHR 2010, September 21-23rd, 2010, London Heathrow. Technical paper published.
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/20100920.aspx[2016-05-20 11:14:03]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tab
Conference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.
Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Conference on Personal Rapid Transit PRT@LHR 2010, September 21-23rd, 2010,London Heathrow. Technical paper published.
Conference on Personal Rapid Transit PRT@LHR 2010,September 21-23rd, 2010, London Heathrow. Technicalpaper published.
Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease20110117.aspx[2016-05-20 11:14:11]
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.
Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooning
Image gallery releasedSARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning
Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicleplatooningPlatooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten yearstime – and the EU-financed SARTRE project has carried out the first successfuldemonstration of its technology at the Volvo Proving Ground close to Gothenburg,Sweden.
This is the first time the EU-financed development teams in SARTRE try their systemstogether outside the simulators.
“We are very pleased to see that the various systems work so well together alreadythe first time,” says Erik Coelingh, engineering specialist at Volvo Cars. “After all, thesystems come from seven SARTRE-member companies in four countries. The winterweather provided some extra testing of cameras and communication equipment.”
“This is a major milestone for this important European research programme,” saysTom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd. "Platooning offers theprospect of improved road safety, better road space utilization, improved drivercomfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions.With the combined skills of its participating companies, SARTRE is making tangibleprogress towards the realization of safe and effective road train technology".
Safer and more convenient
Vehicle platooning, as envisaged by the SARTRE project, is a convoy of vehicles wherea professional driver in a lead vehicle drives a line of other vehicles. Each carmeasures the distance, speed and direction and adjusts to the car in front. All vehiclesare totally detached and can leave the procession at any time. But once in theplatoon, drivers can relax and do other things while the platoon proceeds towards itslong haul destination. The tests carried out included a lead vehicle and single following car. The steeringwheel of the following car moves by itself as the vehicle smoothly follows the leadtruck around the country road test track. The driver is able to drink coffee or read apaper, using neither hand nor foot to operate his vehicle.Platooning is designed to improve a number of things: Firstly road safety, since itminimises the human factor that is the cause of at least 80 percent of the roadaccidents. Secondly, it saves fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions with up to 20percent. It is also convenient for the driver because it frees up time for other mattersthan driving. And since the vehicles will travel in highway speed with only a fewmeters gap, platooning may also relieve traffic congestion.The technology development is well underway and can most likely go into productionin a few years time. What may take substantially longer are the public acceptance andthe legislation where 25 EU governments must pass similar laws.
“It is great to see that all systems work so well together. We develop thecommunication between the vehicles, today using a vehicle-to-vehicle specified radiofrequency. Our next step will be to develop a parallel system, probably using 3G, sothere is a built-in back-up if the primary communication fails,” says Erik Hedin at SP. NOTES TO EDITORS
About the SARTRE project:
The SARTRE project stands for Safe Road Trains for the Environment. Part-funded bythe European Commission under the Framework 7 programme, SARTRE is led byRicardo UK Ltd and comprises collaboration between the following additionalparticipating companies: Idiada and Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institut fürKraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) of Germany, and SP Technical Research Institute ofSweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden. SARTRE aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage through thedevelopment of safe environmental road trains (platoons). Systems are beingdeveloped 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 throughthe prospect of increased "driver comfort". The objectives of SARTRE may besummarised as: 1. To define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains tooperate on public highways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure.2. To enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning systemsuch that the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios.3. To demonstrate how the use of platoons can lead to environmental, safety andcongestion improvements. 4. To illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use ofplatoons with benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers.
Documentary - part two
Press images
Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease20110117.aspx[2016-05-20 11:14:11]
If successful, the benefits from SARTRE are expected to be significant. The estimatedfuel consumption saving for high speed highway operation of road trains is in theregion of 20 percent depending on vehicle spacing and geometry. Safety benefits willarise from the reduction of accidents caused by driver action and driver fatigue. Theutilization of existing road capacity will also be increased with a potentialconsequential reduction in journey times. For users of the technology, the practicalattractions of a smoother, more predicable and lower cost journey which offers theopportunity of additional free time will be considerable. The SARTRE project formallystarted in September 2009 and will run for a total of three years. www.SARTRE-project.eu About the SARTRE project partners:
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is part of the SP Group, consisting of theparent company and its subsidiaries CBI, Glafo, SIK, SMP, YKI and JTI. It constitutes asubstantial group of institutes for research, innovation and sustainable development ofindustry and society. The Group covers a wide technical range, with laboratoryresources that are fully up to national and international standards. A staff of about 1000, of whom half are university trained and about 250 have research scientisttraining, constitute an important knowledge resource. Since November 2009, the SPGroup has been wholly owned by the state holding company, RISE Holding AB.www.sp.se
Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant tothe world's transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company'sengineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronicsand software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems andgasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell power train technologies, as well as wind energyand tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange,Ricardo plc posted sales of £162.8 million in financial year 2010. Ricardo isparticipating in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com .
The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre is an all-round supplier of contractedR+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresightand technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this widerange of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects andtechnology consultancy services stand out. Robotiker-Tecnalia operates in itsreference markets through five business units: ENERGY, TELECOM, AUTOMOTIVE,INFOTECH and INNOVA. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orientingresearch towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective isto actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research andTechnological Transfer. Over the years Robotiker-Tecnalia has taken part in more than85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. www.robotiker.com
Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one ofthe world's leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providingproducts such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine andindustrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvotoday has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on morethan 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that oncontract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and businessconcepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport andvehicle industry. Volvo Technology’s primary customers are the Volvo Group BusinessAreas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and internationalprojects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. Formore information see www.tech.volvo.com .
Applus+ IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides completesolutions for automotive development projects worldwide. Applus+ IDIADA's TechnicalCentre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branchoffices in 16 European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 1000employees. The core services Applus+ IDIADA provides are: Engineering, ProvingGround and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train,emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durabilityand passive safety. Applus+ IDIADA's proving ground is recognised as one of the bestfacilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As amulti-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weatherconditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing.
The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika) with itscentennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research onvehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well asneighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas,etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing. Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 ika had more than200 employees. IKA increasingly links research projects with development tasks thathave to be financed by third-party funding. ika´s activities are tailored to industrialdemands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drive train - Acoustics -Electronics - Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The DriverAssistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driverassistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems(ADAS) ika has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests andcertifications of the system's components and overall applications. For moreinformation please see www.ika.rwth-aachen.de .
Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long andproud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 400.000 cars per year in
Press release: First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Pressrelease20110117.aspx[2016-05-20 11:14:11]
© SARTRE-Consortium - E-mail [email protected]
about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshopsaround the world. Volvo Car Corporation's headquarter and other corporate functionsare based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please checkwww.volvocars.com and www.youtube.com/volvocarsnews
Image gallery released
http://sartre-project.eu/en/about/news/Sidor/Imagegallery_released.aspx[2016-05-20 11:14:20]
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About
NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooning
Image gallery released
SARTRE FAQ releasedSARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
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| About | News | Image gallery released
Image gallery releasedClick on the press tab to download images from the SARTRE road train first tests.
SARTRE FAQ released
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NewsKick off in BrusselsStart of SARTRE projectSARTRE website releasedWork package two, theconcept phase, is nowcompletePress release: Filmdocuments first year ofprogress in the developmentof safe road train technologySartre participates at the ITSWorld Congress 2010. Threetechnical papers arepublishedDocumentary film - part 1released. Watch the film -click on the press tabConference on PersonalRapid Transit PRT@LHR2010, September 21-23rd,2010, London Heathrow.Technical paper published.Press release: Firstdemonstration of SARTREvehicle platooningImage gallery released
SARTRE FAQ released
SARTRE Road trains - testswith several vehicles in highspeedPress release: SARTRE roadtrain première on publicroadsVideo: SARTRE public roadtest May 2012Press release: Partnersconclude after the SARTREprojectThe SARTRE road train video
Related projects
| About | News | SARTRE FAQ released
SARTRE FAQ releasedClick on the FAQ tab to read a collection of frequently asked questions andanswers about the SARTRE project
Related projects
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| About | Related projects
Related projects SAFESPOT SAFESPOT is working to design
cooperative systems for road safety basedon vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle toinfrastructure (V2I) communication.
www.safespot-eu.org
CVIS CVIS (Cooperative Vehicle-InfrastructureSystems), aims to design, develop and testthe technologies needed to allow cars tocommunicate with each other and withnearby roadside infrastructure.
www.cvisproject.org
Film clips
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| Press | Film clips
Film clipsThe SARTRE road train video
Link to film >
SARTRE public road test May 2012 Link to film >
Documentary film - part 2: Link to film >
Documentary film - part 1: Link to film >
Demonstration clip for SARTRE:
Volvo_Train720.wmv
Sartre part two - Test drive
Image gallery
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Image galleryTo download an image, please click on the thumbnail.
The pictures are free of charge and copyright for publication in daily press, tradepress, and other periodical publications. For all other usage please contact [email protected]
About the project
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| FAQ | About the project
About the projectWhat is a vehicle platoon?It’s a road train with vehicles, where vehicles are autonomously following a manuallydriven lead vehicle, driven by a professional driver. What is SARTRE?An EU-financed project, with seven partners from four countries in Europe,discovering the possibilities with vehicle platoons on public highways. The projectstarted on 1st September 2009 and aims to complete by end August 2012. What is the Project Budget?€6.4m with around 60% of this being provided by the European Commission FP7programme. Who are involved in the project?It’s an EU financed project with following participating partners:• Ricardo UK Ltd (UK)• Volvo Technology (Sweden) • SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden • Applus+ IDIADA (Spain)• Tecnalia (Spain)• IKA (Germany)• Volvo Cars (Sweden). Why are you researching about vehicle platoons?Platooning has the potential to address three key societal challenges; • Environment - 10-20% anticipated saving• Safety - Driver is no 1 contributor to road fatalities being the primary cause 87% ofthe time and contributor 95% of the time. With reduced driver control increasedsafety can be achieved• Reduced congestion – increased traffic stability In addition there is added convenience for the drivers of the following vehicles,allowing use of their travel time for other activities. Which are the major project challenges?There are a lot of challenges being analyzed in the project. One of them is seeking toidentify an appropriate length of platoon, for good interaction with surroundingtraffic. Very long road trains can block exits to slipways for other vehicles. Is the idea of road platoons suitable for country roads and motorways only orthey are also possible in cities?At the moment we are focussing on Motorways only. There are additionalcomplexities when you consider country roads and cities (e.g. pedestrians). Is there a need for any infrastructure changes before introducing platoons onpublic roads?No, we are aiming to have a system that doesn’t require infrastructure changes. How about safety of the platoon? Have you already made any simulations ofinevitable accidents and response of the vehicles in the platoon?We are completing a safety analysis which will lead to safety requirements. Weobviously have a goal to be as safe as the existing road system – If not safer.
How does it work?
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How does it work?How do the vehicles communicate with each other?Wireless through a technique which will be standardized on an EU-level (based on802.11p). However we are still exploring which communication systems that will beused. How long will a platoon be?The human factors work has indicated that up to 15 cars would be acceptable. In theSARTRE prototype we will implement a platoon of 5 vehicles. One key factor is thatthe platoon needs to be able to interact with other road users, who for example needto be able to conveniently access or leave the motorway without being disturbed bythe platoon. Computer simulation is being used to study how platoons will affect andbe affected by surrounding traffic. What will be the distance between the vehicles?In the initial tests, the inter-vehicle gap was around 10m. We’re aiming to minimizethe distance in order to achieve reduced fuel consumption. The actual distance weachieve will depend on safety, human factors and environmental benefits. What technology will be used?A combination of sensors (such as radar, camera and laser), as well ascommunication between the vehicles will help the vehicles to follow the movement ofthe lead vehicle. For administration of the platoon, a software client will be used thatfor example will guide the driver to a suitable platoon and perform other platoonorganizing related tasks. How will an existing vehicle create the necessary gap to pull off?The current intention is that the lead vehicle will control the following vehicles andcreate the gap. What happens if the lead vehicle drives off the road?We strive for preventing this from happening, and believe that the safety systems inthe lead vehicle are an important factor for helping the vehicles to stay on the road(e.g. Volvo’s ESP, Driver Alert Support, Lane Keeping Support…). There couldhowever be situations where the lead vehicle (by intention or not), drives off road,and we are evaluating different solutions for handling these situations. Can any driver with a drivers licence drive the lead vehicle?No. Our view is that the lead vehicle should be driven by a professional driver, withhigh likelihood of additional training to ensure they understand particular issues withroad trains. In the project, we therefore let professional truck drivers lead (as thelikely first adopters). Coaches would also be an alternative. Cars could also lead butthis is not the focus of SARTRE. Isn’t there a risk that the drivers in the following vehicles become too passiveand inattentive if the driving is autonomous?The driver should be able to relax, that is an important part of the project. However,we are also looking at supportive systems that will help the driver to take control ofthe vehicle again, when, for example, it’s time to leave the platoon. How will a potential joiner know if he or she can join?The information about access will be communicated by the lead vehicle. A web basedclient can support the planning. How will you handle a lane change?The lead vehicle driver decides if the platoon needs to change lane. To achieve thisthe driver needs a good “view” of the surrounding traffic. To support this we will be transmitting the sensor information from all vehicles to thelead vehicle. Will a platoon crash be more damaging than a normal motorway crash due to theshorter distance?Not necessarily. The platoon vehicles are being driven automatically and as such weare benefiting from the faster reaction times of the platoon system, in addition the
How does it work?
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relative speed between vehicles in the platoon is less thus damage is likely to be less.One of our guiding principles is to ensure we do develop a system that is safer thanexisting systems. Why not use a train instead?We believe in using the most appropriate transport mode and the train provides animportant transport alternative, however this is not always the most efficient orconvenient alternative. The road train provides a good complement, since it combinesthe flexibility and benefits of a car with the benefits of a train.
Current status and next step
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Current status and next stepYou stated in your press release platooning can be a reality within 10 years, isthis likely?A lot of the technology is already available. However, legislation and user acceptance,impact the date for introduction to market. Where will we be seeing road trains in the future?Probably in slow and middle lane on highways.Early adoption may be in the form of dedicated lanes. Will there be a cost to join a platoon and how will payment be handled?We are looking at different alternatives for the business model. At which stage of the project are you now?At the moment, we have tested one car following a lead truck in limited speed on atest track. The project will be finished in 2012, what is the next step (from Jan 2011) at themoment?The next step is to incorporate more following vehicles at higher speeds and shorterinter-vehicle distance. In the final step of the tests, we aim to demonstrate on publichighways.
Partners conclude after the SARTRE project:
Platooned traffic can be integrated with other road users on conventional highways The SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, involving seven European partners, has been successfully finalised during 2012. This unique project highlights the potential for implementing road trains on conventional highways, with platooned traffic operating in a mixed environment with other road users. Thanks to the partners in the SARTRE road train project, you may soon be able to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road in your own car – leaving the automated driving to modern technology. “The road train is the best of two worlds. You can enjoy all the multi-tasking possibilities of public transportation behind the wheel of your own car. It’s the perfect complement to the true pleasure of driving a Volvo yourself,” says Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Corporation. Four-metre gap between vehicles Volvo Car Corporation is the only participating car manufacturer in SARTRE. The project road train includes a manually driven lead truck, which is followed by one truck and three Volvo cars (S60, V60 and XC60). All the following vehicles are driven autonomously at speeds of up to 90 km/h – in some cases with no more than a four-metre gap between the vehicles – thanks to a blend of present and new technology. “The basic principle is that the following vehicles repeat the motion of the lead vehicle,” says Erik Coelingh. He adds: “To achieve this we have extended the camera, radar and laser technology used in present safety and support systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, City Safety, Lane Keeping Aid, Blind Sport Information System and Park Assist Pilot.” The most important new features that have been added to the vehicles are:
• A prototype Human-Machine Interface including a touch screen for displaying vital information and carrying out requests, such as joining and leaving the road train.
• A prototype vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit that allows all vehicles within the platoon to communicate with each other.
Smoother than public transportation The long-term vision is to create a transport system where joining the road train will be more attractive and comfortable than leaving your car behind and using public transportation on long-distance trips. “Road train information and operation will of course be integrated in the Volvo Sensus infotainment system when the technology is ready for production. Booking, joining and leaving the road train must be easy and smooth,” says Erik Coelingh. He adds: “Another challenge is to create a system that handles the cost aspects. It is logical that taking the road train will include a fee or an income, depending on whether you own a lead vehicle or a following vehicle.” Many benefits Parallel with the attractive possibility to do other things while driving, the road train brings several other crucial advantages:
• It promotes safer transport. A professional driver leads the vehicle platoon, for instance in a truck. Inter-vehicle reaction response times are very quick thanks to the co-ordinated technology.
• Environmental impact is reduced. The cars drive close to each other and reap the benefit of lower air drag.
• The reduced speed variations improve traffic flow, creating more efficiently utilised road capacity.
“The energy-saving potential is 10-20 percent. This means that the journey to your holiday destination doesn’t only become more comfortable and safe. The money you save on reduced fuel consumption can be spent on lunch by the beach instead,” smiles Erik Coelingh. Stakeholder dialogue Recognizing that the challenge of implementing road train technology on Europe’s highways is not solely a technical matter, SARTRE also includes a major study to identify what changes will be needed for vehicle platooning to become a reality. “There are several issues to solve before road trains become a reality on European roads. As the leader in car safety, Volvo Car Corporation is particularly focused on emergency situations such as obstacle avoidance or sudden braking. However, we are convinced that road trains have great potential,” concludes Erik Coelingh. 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: Applus+, IDIADA and Tecnalia of Spain, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (ika) of the RWTH Aachen University of Germany, and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Group of Sweden. www.SARTRE-project.eu
May 28 2012 SARTRE road train première on public roads For the first time ever a road train comprising a Volvo XC60, a Volvo V60 and a Volvo S60 plus one truck automatically driving in convoy behind a lead vehicle has operated on a public motorway among other road users. The historic test in Spain was highly successful. Vehicle platoon tests in the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project – a joint venture between Ricardo UK Ltd, Applus+ Idiada, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge Aachen (IKA), SP Technical Research Institute, Volvo Technology and Volvo Car Corporation – are making progress. One major step forward was taken last week on a motorway outside Barcelona – the first-ever test drive of a road train among other road users. A road train consists of a lead vehicle driven by a professional driver followed by a number of vehicles. Building on Volvo Car Corporation’s and Volvo Technology's already existing safety systems – including features such as cameras, radar and laser sensors – the vehicles monitor the lead vehicle and also other vehicles in their immediate vicinity. By adding in wireless communication, the vehicles in the platoon “mimic” the lead vehicle using Ricardo autonomous control – accelerating, braking and turning in exactly the same way as the leader. Improved driver environment – among much else The project aims to deliver improved comfort for drivers, who can now spend their time doing other things while driving. They can work on their laptops, read a book or sit back and enjoy a relaxed lunch. Naturally the project also aims to improve traffic safety, reduce environmental impact and – thanks to smooth speed control – cut the risk of traffic tailbacks. One lead vehicle and four trailing vehicles – consisting of a Volvo S60, a Volvo V60 and a Volvo XC60 plus a truck – made up the historic road train in Spain. “Driving among other road-users is a great milestone in our project. It was truly thrilling,” says Linda Wahlström. The vehicles drove at 85 kilometres an hour. The gap between each vehicle was just six metres. Quick acclimatisation Sitting in a car just six metres behind another one while travelling at 85 km/h and relying totally on the technology may feel a bit scary. But the experiences gained so far indicate that people acclimatise very quickly. The three-year SARTRE project has been under way since 2009. All told, the vehicles in the project have covered about 10,000 kilometres. After the test on the public roads in Spain, the project is now entering a new phase with the focus on analysis of fuel consumption.
QUOTES “This is a very significant milestone in the development of safe road train technology,” commented SARTRE project director, Tom Robinson of Ricardo. “For the very first time we have been able to demonstrate a convoy of autonomously driven vehicles following a lead vehicle with its professional driver, in a mixed traffic environment on a European motorway. The success of this test is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and innovative skills of the SARTRE project team and its contributing companies. While there remain many challenges to full scale implementation, the SARTRE project has demonstrated a very practical approach to the implementation of safe road train technology that is capable of delivering an improved driving experience, better road space utilisation and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.” Tom Robinson concludes, “Once the fuel consumption measurements are completed we will be drawing on the learning we have gained developing the platoon system and understanding the various human factors, to assess the likely roadmap and mechanisms for platoons and platoon technology to be operational on public highways - at which point we believe there will be a really positive impact on highway utilisation”. “We covered 200 kilometres in one day and the test turned out well. We’re really delighted,” says Linda Wahlström, project manager for the SARTRE project at Volvo Car Corporation. “During our trials on the test circuit we tried out gaps from five to fifteen metres,” relates Linda Wahlström. “We’ve learnt a whole lot during this period. People think that autonomous driving is science fiction, but the fact is that the technology is already here. From the purely conceptual viewpoint, it works fine and road train will be around in one form or another in the future,” says Linda Wahlström. She continues: “We’ve focused really hard on changing as little as possible in existing systems. Everything should function without any infrastructure changes to the roads or expensive additional components in the cars. Apart from the software developed as part of the project, it is really only the wireless network installed between the cars that set them apart from other cars available in showrooms today.”
NOTES TO EDITORS 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 Tecnalia Research & Innovation of Spain, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge 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". The objectives of SARTRE may be summarised as: 1. To define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate on public highways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure. 2. To enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such that the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios. 3. To demonstrate how the use of platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements. 4. To illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with benefits to bothlead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers. If successful, the benefits from SARTRE are expected to be significant. The estimated fuel consumption saving for high speed highway operation of road trains is in the region of 20 percent depending on vehicle spacing and geometry. Safety benefits will arise from the reduction of accidents caused by driver action and driver fatigue. The utilization of existing road capacity will also be increased with a potential consequential reduction in journey times. For users of the technology, the practical attractions of a smoother, more predicable and lower cost journey which offers the opportunity of additional free time will be considerable. The SARTRE project formally started in September 2009 and will run for a total of three years. www.SARTRE-project.eu
Partners
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is part of the SP Group, consisting of the parent company and its subsidiaries CBI, Glafo, SIK, SMP, YKI and JTI. It constitutes a substantial group of institutes for research, innovation and sustainable development of industry and society. The Group covers a wide technical range, with laboratory resources that are fully up to national and international standards. A staff of about 1 000, of whom half are university trained and about 250 have research scientist training, constitute an important knowledge resource. Since November 2009, the SP Group has been wholly owned by the state holding company, RISE Holding AB. For more information, visit http://www.sp.se/en/ Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world's transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company's engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell power train technologies, as well as wind energy and tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ricardo plc posted sales of £162.8 million in financial year 2010. Ricardo is participating in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.
Tecnalia Research & Innovation is an all-round supplier of contracted R+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresight and technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this wide range of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects and technology consultancy services stand out. Tecnalia operates in its reference markets through five divisions: INDUSTRY AND TRANSPORT, INNOVATION AND SOCIETY, ICT-EUROPEAN SOFTWARE INSTITUTE, HEALTH, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, and 16 business units. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orienting research towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective is to actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research and Technological Transfer. Over the years Tecnalia has taken part in more than 85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. Fore more information visit www.tecnalia.com
Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providing products such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvo today has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on more than 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that on contract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and business concepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport and vehicle industry. Volvo Technology’s primary customers are the Volvo Group Business Areas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and international projects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. For more information, visit www.tech.volvo.com.
Applus+ IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides complete solutions for automotive development projects worldwide. Applus+ IDIADA's Technical Centre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branch offices in 16 European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 1000 employees. The core services Applus+ IDIADA provides are: Engineering, Proving Ground and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train, emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durability and passive safety. Applus+ IDIADA's proving ground is recognised as one of the best facilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As a multi-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weather conditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing. For more information, visit http://www.idiada.com/
The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (IKA) with its centennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research on vehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well as neighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas, etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing. Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 IKA had more than 200 employees. IKA increasingly links research projects with development tasks that have to be financed by third-party funding. IKA´s activities are tailored to industrial demands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drive train - Acoustics - Electronics - Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The Driver Assistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driver assistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) IKA has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests and certifications of the system's components and overall applications. For more information, visit www.ika.rwth-aachen.de Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long and proud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 450.000 cars per year in about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshops around the world. Volvo Car Corporation's headquarter and other corporate functions are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, visit www.volvocars.com and www.media.volvocars.com
PRESS RELEASE
17 January 2011
First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning 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.
This is the first time the EU-financed development teams in SARTRE try their systems together outside the simulators.
“We are very pleased to see that the various systems work so well together already the first time,” says Erik Coelingh, engineering specialist at Volvo Cars. “After all, the systems come from seven SARTRE-member companies in four countries. The winter weather provided some extra testing of cameras and communication equipment.”
“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 utilization, 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 realization of safe and effective road train technology".
Safer and more convenient
Vehicle platooning, as envisaged by the SARTRE project, is a convoy of vehicles where a professional driver in a lead vehicle drives a line of other vehicles. 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.
The tests carried out included a lead vehicle and single following car. The steering wheel of the following car moves by itself as the vehicle smoothly follows the lead truck around the country road test track. The driver is able to drink coffee or read a paper, using neither hand nor foot to operate his vehicle.
Platooning is designed to improve a number of things: Firstly road safety, since it minimises 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 driver because it frees up time for other matters than driving. And since the vehicles will travel in highway speed with only a few meters gap, platooning may also relieve traffic congestion.
PRESS RELEASE
17 January 2011 The technology development is well underway and can most likely go into production in a few years time. What may take substantially longer are the public acceptance and the legislation where 25 EU governments must pass similar laws.
“It is great to see that all systems work so well together. We develop the communication between the vehicles, today using a vehicle-to-vehicle specified radio frequency. Our next step will be to develop a parallel system, probably using 3G, so there is a built-in back-up if the primary communication fails,” says Erik Hedin at SP.
PRESS RELEASE
17 January 2011
NOTES TO EDITORS
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". The objectives of SARTRE may be summarised as: 1. To define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate on public highways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure. 2. To enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such that the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios. 3. To demonstrate how the use of platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements. 4. To illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers. If successful, the benefits from SARTRE are expected to be significant. The estimated fuel consumption saving for high speed highway operation of road trains is in the region of 20 percent depending on vehicle spacing and geometry. Safety benefits will arise from the reduction of accidents caused by driver action and driver fatigue. The utilization of existing road capacity will also be increased with a potential consequential reduction in journey times. For users of the technology, the practical attractions of a smoother, more predicable and lower cost journey which offers the opportunity of additional free time will be considerable. The SARTRE project formally started in September 2009 and will run for a total of three years. www.SARTRE-project.eu About the SARTRE project partners: SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is part of the SP Group, consisting of the parent company and its subsidiaries CBI, Glafo, SIK, SMP, YKI and JTI. It constitutes a substantial group of institutes for research, innovation and sustainable development of industry and society. The Group covers a wide technical range, with laboratory resources that are fully up to national and international standards. A staff of about 1 000, of whom half are university trained and about 250 have research scientist training, constitute an important knowledge resource. Since November 2009, the SP Group has been wholly owned by the state holding company, RISE Holding AB.
Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world's transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company's engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell power train technologies, as well as wind energy and tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ricardo plc posted sales of £162.8 million in financial year 2010. Ricardo is participating in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com. The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre is an all-round supplier of contracted R+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresight and technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this wide range of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects and technology consultancy services stand out. Robotiker-Tecnalia operates in its reference markets through five business units: ENERGY, TELECOM, AUTOMOTIVE, INFOTECH and INNOVA. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orienting research towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective is to actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research and Technological Transfer. Over the years Robotiker-Tecnalia has taken part in more than 85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. www.robotiker.com
PRESS RELEASE
17 January 2011 Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providing products such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvo today has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on more than 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that on contract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and business concepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport and vehicle industry. Volvo Technology’s primary customers are the Volvo Group Business Areas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and international projects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. For more information see www.tech.volvo.com. Applus+ IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides complete solutions for automotive development projects worldwide. Applus+ IDIADA's Technical Centre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branch offices in 16 European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 1000 employees. The core services Applus+ IDIADA provides are: Engineering, Proving Ground and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train, emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durability and passive safety. Applus+ IDIADA's proving ground is recognised as one of the best facilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As a multi-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weather conditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing. The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika) with its centennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research on vehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well as neighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas, etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing. Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 ika had more than 200 employees. IKA increasingly links research projects with development tasks that have to be financed by third-party funding. ika´s activities are tailored to industrial demands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drive train - Acoustics - Electronics - Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The Driver Assistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driver assistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) ika has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests and certifications of the system's components and overall applications. For more information please see www.ika.rwth-aachen.de. Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long and proud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 400.000 cars per year in about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshops around the world. Volvo Car Corporation's headquarter and other corporate functions are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please check www.volvocars.com and www.youtube.com/volvocarsnews
PRESS RELEASE
24 November 2010
Film documents first year of progress in the development of safe road train technology
The EU SARTRE project – which aims to develop, test and validate technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways – has today released a documentary film describing the first year’s work of this multi-partner research initiative.
Now a year into its three year programme of work, the SARTRE project aims to develop and
demonstrate road train technologies that will enable improvements in traffic flow and faster
journey times, offering greater comfort to drivers, reducing accidents and improving fuel
consumption, hence lowering CO2 emissions. Most of the first year has been taken up with the
concept phase, which has involved the seven partner consortium investigating the basic
principles of a feasible platooning system. Issues investigated have included usage cases,
human factors and behaviours associated with platooning, core system parameters, and
specification of prototype architecture and applications. In addition to providing some highly
thought-provoking and useful results in its own right, this essential groundwork has enabled the
team to move on to the start of the implementation phase which will see the start of vehicle
testing.
The SARTRE team is currently aiming to carry out the first development tests of a single lead
and following vehicle before the end of 2010. This first iteration of the SARTRE architecture will
involve installation of the necessary hardware into the two vehicles, implementation of vehicle-
to-vehicle communications, incorporation and integration of sensors, and low level actuator and
lateral and longitudinal control of the following vehicle. The crucial software integration needed
for driving automation has already commenced, and the first tests of a two vehicle train are
expected to take place before the end of December. Subsequent phases of the work to be
carried out in 2011 and early 2012 will see the concept demonstrated on a five-vehicle road
train with strategies handling interaction with other road users.
PRESS RELEASE
In the eight minute documentary film released today and available for viewing via the SARTRE
web site (www.SARTRE-project.eu) a range of interviews are provided by key participants and
stakeholders in the project. In addition to describing the SARTRE concept in detail, the film
shows some of the simulator-based testing at Tecnalia, Bilbao, Spain, in which human factors
in the implementation of road train technology have been investigated. A sample group of men
and women of varying ages and driving experience were tested in the simulator, which
provides a 120 degree forward field of view via two LCD screens through which a total length of
18km of virtual motorway can be driven. The simulator incorporates a steering wheel with force
feedback, realistic manual/automatic transmission controls and a haptic seat installation which,
together, provide a highly realistic virtual driving environment. This simulation work has enabled
the team to assess in detail the response of drivers both while participating in road trains and
while driving independently in an environment in which road trains are operating. Further
coverage is shown of some of the sensor and actuator development work and of the control
architecture design that will support the implementation phase over the coming months.
In addition to releasing the documentary film, the partners have also published three technical
papers, covering specific details of the work of the concept phase, at the ITS World Congress
held in October at Busan, Korea. These papers – which are also available on the SARTRE web
site (www.SARTRE-project.eu) – have respectively covered the subjects of the challenges of
platooning on public highways, an overview of the approach to the development of platooning
being taken by the SARTRE project, and the human factors challenges of implementing such a
dual mode transportation system.
"The SARTRE documentary film and the technical papers delivered at the ITS World Congress
provide an extremely useful insight into the project for those interested in the potential for road
train technology,” explains Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator of Ricardo UK Ltd.
“SARTRE is really pushing the boundaries in this aspect of ITS technology and is already
providing some extremely useful and actionable results. We now look forward to the next stage
of the work of the project which will see vehicle tests, initially of just of a single vehicle for
sensor, actuator and control system validation, then of a two vehicle platoon later this year and
subsequently through the remainder of the project, a multiple vehicle platoon in order to test,
develop, validate and identify remaining implementation issues for the entire SARTRE system.”
PRESS RELEASE
NOTES TO EDITORS 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 a 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”. The objectives of SARTRE may be summarised as:
1. To define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate on public highways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure.
2. To enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such that the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios.
3. To demonstrate how the use of platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements.
4. To illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers.
If successful, the benefits from SARTRE are expected to be significant. The estimated fuel consumption saving for high speed highway operation of road trains is in the region of 20 percent depending on vehicle spacing and geometry. Safety benefits will arise from the reduction of accidents caused by driver action and driver fatigue. The utilization of existing road capacity will also be increased with a potential consequential reduction in journey times. For users of the technology, the practical attractions of a smoother, more predicable and lower cost journey which offers the opportunity of additional free time, will be considerable. The SARTRE project formally started in September 2009 and will run for a total of three years.
About the SARTRE project partners:
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is a leading international research institute. We work closely with our customers to create value, delivering high-quality input in all parts of the innovation chain, and thus playing an important part in assisting the competitiveness of industry and its evolution towards sustainable development. For more information, visit www.sp.se
Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world’s transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company’s engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell powertrain technologies, as well as wind energy and tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ricardo plc posted sales of £162.8 million in financial year 2010. Ricardo is participating in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.
PRESS RELEASE
The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre is an all-round supplier of contracted R+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresight and technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this wide range of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects and technology consultancy services stand out. Robotiker-Tecnalia operates in its reference markets through five business units: ENERGY, TELECOM, AUTOMOTIVE, INFOTECH and INNOVA. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orienting research towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective is to actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research and Technological Transfer. Over the years Robotiker-Tecnalia has taken part in more than 85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. www.robotiker.com
Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providing products such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvo today has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on more than 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that on contract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and business concepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport and vehicle industry. Volvo Technologies primary customers are the Volvo Group Business Areas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and international projects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. For more information see www.tech.volvo.com
Applus+ IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides complete solutions for automotive development projects worldwide. Applus+ IDIADA’s Technical Centre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branch offices in 16 European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 1000 employees. The core services Applus+ IDIADA provides are: Engineering, Proving Ground and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train, emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durability and passive safety. Applus+ IDIADA’s proving ground is recognised as one of the best facilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As a multi-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weather conditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing. For more information, visit www.idiada.com
The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika) with its centennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research on vehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well as neighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas, etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing. Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 ika had more than 200 employees. ika increasingly links research projects with development tasks that have to be financed by third-party funding. ika´s activities are tailored to industrial demands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drivetrain - Acoustics - Electronics – Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The Driver Assistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driver assistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) ika has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests and certifications of the system’s components and overall applications. For more information, visit www.ika.rwth-aachen.de
Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long and proud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 400.000 cars per year in about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshops around the world. Volvo Car Corporation's
PRESS RELEASE
headquarter and other corporate functions are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please check www.volvocars.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS Ricardo UK Ltd (SARTRE project leader) Anthony Smith Ricardo Media Office Tel: +44 (0)1273 382710 E-mail: [email protected] SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (responsible for SARTRE project dissemination) Carl Bergehem Tel: +46 (0) 10 516 55 53 E-mail: [email protected]
Cars that drive themselves can become reality
within ten years
A new EU project SARTRE is being launched to develop and test technology
for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways. This technology has the potential to improve traffic flow and journey times, offer greater comfort to drivers, reduce accidents, and improve fuel
consumption and hence lower CO2 emissions.
Just imagine leaving home in the morning and, just after joining the motorway, meeting up with a number of other cars which inch up to each other, travelling at
normal speed in a close-formation convoy. After a few minutes you can let go of the steering wheel and spend your time reading the morning paper, talking on the
phone or watching the TV, while your car drives itself in complete safety and also saving fuel! A vision of a motoring Utopia?
Not if you believe today’s researchers who suggest that road trains can become reality within a decade.
The automotive industry has long been focused on the development of active safety systems that operate preventively, such as traction control and braking assistance
programs. But automakers have also gone much further in proposing technology that allows vehicles to be operated without any input whatsoever from the person
behind the wheel. Known as autonomous driving, this technology means that the vehicles is able to take control over acceleration, braking and steering, and can be
used as part of a road train of similarly controlled vehicles. The first test cars equipped with this technology will roll on test tracks as early as
2011. The vehicles will be equipped with a navigation system and a transmitter/receiver unit that communicates with a lead vehicle. Since the system is
built into the cars, there is no need to extend the infrastructure along the existing
road network.
Lead vehicle The idea is that each road train or platoon will have a lead vehicle that drives
exactly as normal, with full control of all the various functions. This lead vehicle is driven by an experienced driver who is thoroughly familiar with the route. For instance, the lead may be taken by a taxi, a bus or a truck. Each such road train will
consist of six to eight vehicles.
A driver approaching his destination takes over control of his own vehicle, leaves the convoy by exiting off to the side and then continues on his own to his
destination. The other vehicles in the road train close the gap and continue on their way until the convoy splits up.
Many advantages
The advantage of such road trains is that all the other drivers in the convoy have time to get on with other business while on the road, for instance when driving to or from work. The road trains increase safety and reduce environmental impact thanks
to lower fuel consumption compared with cars being driven individually. The reason is that the cars in the train are close to each other, exploiting the resultant lower air
drag. The energy saving is expected to be in the region of 20 percent. Road capacity will also be able to be utilised more efficiently.
"The SARTRE project brings together a unique mix of technologies, skills and expertise from European industry and academia, with the aim of encouraging the
development of safe and environmentally effective road trains,” explains Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd. “By developing and
implementing the technology at a vehicle level, SARTRE aims to realise the potentially very significant safety and environmental benefits of road trains without the need to invest in changes to road infrastructure."
“I do appreciate that many people feel this sounds like Utopia, says Erik Coelingh,
technical director of Active Safety Functions at Volvo Cars. However, this type of autonomous driving actually doesn’t require any hocus-pocus technology, and no investment in infrastructure. Instead, the emphasis is on development and on
adapting technology that is already in existence. In addition, we must carry out comprehensive testing to verify our high demands on safety.”
Researchers see road trains primarily as a major benefit to commuters who cover long distances by motorway every day, but they will also be of potential benefit to
trucks, buses, coaches vans and other commercial vehicle types. As the participants meet, each vehicle’s navigation system is used to join the convoy, where the
autonomous driving program then takes over. As the road train approaches its final destination, the various participants can each disconnect from the convoy and continue to drive as usual to their individual destinations.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
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 will be led by Ricardo UK Ltd and will comprise a 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 will be 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 will address the 3 cornerstone transportation issues of environment, safety and congestion while at the same time encouraging driver acceptance through the prospect of increased “driver comfort”. The objectives of SARTRE may be summarised as:
1. To define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate on public highways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure.
2. To enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such that the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios.
3. To demonstrate how the use of platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements.
4. To illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers.
If successful, the benefits from SARTRE are expected to be significant. The estimated fuel consumption saving for high speed highway operation of road trains is in the region of 20 percent depending on vehicle spacing and geometry. Safety benefits will arise from the reduction of accidents caused by driver action and driver fatigue. The utilisation of existing road capacity will also be increased with a potential consequential reduction in journey times. For users of the technology, the practical attractions of a smoother, more predicable and lower cost journey which offers the opportunity of additional free time, will be considerable. The SARTRE project formally started in September 2009 and will run for a total of three years. About the SARTRE project partners:
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is a leading international research institute. We work closely with our customers to create value, delivering high-quality input in all parts of the innovation chain, and thus playing an important part in assisting the competitiveness of industry and its evolution towards sustainable development.
Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world’s transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company’s engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell powertrain technologies, as well as wind energy and tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ricardo plc posted sales of £178.8 million in financial year 2009. Ricardo will participate in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.
The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre is an all-round supplier of contracted R+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresight and technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this wide range of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects and technology consultancy services stand out. Robotiker-Tecnalia operates in its reference markets through five business units: ENERGY, TELECOM, AUTOMOTIVE, INFOTECH and INNOVA. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orienting research towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective is to actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research and Technological Transfer. Over the years Robotiker-Tecnalia has taken part in more than 85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. www.robotiker.com Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providing products such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvo today has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on more than 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that on contract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and business concepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport and vehicle industry. Volvo Technologies primary customers are the Volvo Group Business Areas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and international projects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. For more information see www.tech.volvo.com. IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides complete solutions for automotive development projects worldwide. IDIADA’s Technical Centre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branch offices in several European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 800 employees. The core services IDIADA provides are: Engineering, Proving Ground and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train, emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durability and passive safety. IDIADA’s proving ground is recognised as one of the best facilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As a multi-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weather conditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing. The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika) with its centennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research on vehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well as neighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas, etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing. Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 ika had more than 200 employees. IKA increasingly links research projects with development tasks that have to be financed by third-party funding. ika´s activities are tailored to industrial demands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drivetrain - Acoustics - Electronics – Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The Driver Assistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driver assistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) ika has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests and certifications of the system’s components and overall applications.
Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long and proud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 400.000 cars per year in about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshops around the world. Volvo Car Corporation's headquarter and other corporate functions are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please check www.volvocars.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Ricardo UK Ltd (SARTRE project leader)
Anthony Smith
Ricardo Media Office
Tel: +44 (0)1273 382710
E-mail: [email protected]
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (responsible for SARTRE project
dissemination)
Carl Bergehem
Tel: +46 (0) 10 516 55 53
E-mail: [email protected]
Volvo Car Corporation
Maria Bohlin
Corporate spokesperson Volvo Cars Public Affairs
Tel: +46 (0)31 59 65 25
E-mail: [email protected]
1
Cooperative control of SARTRE automated platoon vehicles
Eric Chan1*, Peter Gilhead2, Pavel Jelínek3, Petr Krejčí3, Tom Robinson2 1*. Ricardo UK Ltd., 400 Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WH, United Kingdom,
[email protected] 2. Ricardo UK Ltd., United Kingdom
3. Ricardo Prague s.r.o., Czech Republic
Abstract SARTRE is a European Commission Co-Funded FP7 project that seeks to develop and integrate solutions that allow vehicles to drive in platoons to reduce fuel consumption, increase safety, improve road congestion and increase driver convenience. The platoon will operate on conventional motorways, in a mixed environment with other non-platoon traffic, and will not require changes to the road infrastructure. The paper presents an overview of the control systems developed for the five vehicle demonstrator system, and presents some results from the system operating under a range of conditions. Keywords: Automated, autonomous, road train, platoon, platooning, driverless, control, SARTRE Introduction and background SARTRE [1] is a European Commission Co-Funded FP7 project that seeks to develop and integrate solutions that allow vehicles to drive in platoons to reduce fuel consumption, increase safety, improve road congestion and increase driver convenience. The platoon vehicles will operate on conventional motorways in a mixed environment with other non-platoon traffic, and therefore there will be some inevitable interactions between platoon vehicles and other non-platoon vehicles. SARTRE is a three year programme with 7 partners and ends in autumn 2012. A demonstration system has been developed as part of the project which includes 5 vehicles of mixed types (trucks, cars). This paper provides an overview of the platoon vehicle control systems and presents results from the demonstrator vehicles. System overview The platoon consists of a LV (Lead Vehicle), driven manually as normal by the driver, and one or more FVs (Following Vehicles), which have automated control of both their speed and their
2
steering. The drivers of those vehicles would be able to carry out other activities such as reading a book or using a smartphone. All of the vehicles are fitted with a CarPC for the HMI (Human-Machine Interface), a V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) communications node to exchange data with the other vehicles [2], and several ECUs (Electronic Control Units) to control the platoon or the vehicle. The FVs are also fitted with sensors and actuators to allow for automated control of the vehicles. The systems used in the project demonstrator are either production systems or close-to-production systems. The sensors measure the longitudinal and lateral position of the preceding vehicle and include radars, fixed (i.e. non-scanning) lidars, and cameras. The “actuators” for longitudinal and lateral vehicle motion build upon the vehicle’s existing adaptive cruise control system and electric power-assisted steering system respectively. In all cases, the driver is able to easily override the automated actuation systems. The demonstration system is made up of 5 vehicles. Not only do we have a mixture of trucks and passenger cars, but the cars are of different types (sedan, estate / station wagon, SUV) and have different engines and transmissions. Our control systems have been made to be robust to such variations with the minimum amount of changes. Longitudinal control The longitudinal control controls the vehicle’s gap to the preceding vehicle using both on-vehicle sensors and shared V2V data. If all the vehicles in the platoon were to rely solely on their own sensors, there would be the potential to have string stability issues where small variations in the gaps near the front of the platoon gradually get magnified at the rear of the platoon. Shared vehicle data is one of the methods used to minimise these undesirable effects. Speed and gap changes Depending on the traffic, the LV may have to change its cruising speed, and the longitudinal control should be able to maintain the inter-vehicle gap sizes at all times. Also, at certain times, the system may wish to change the gap sizes of all the vehicles. Both of these manoeuvres are shown in Figure 1. During the first half of the plot, the driver in the LV increases speed from 60 kph to 85 kph over 15-20 seconds. During this time, it can be seen that there is minimal variation in the gaps for the following vehicles since their accelerations and speeds are being coordinated with the LV and the other FVs using V2V data. At time = 10 s, a short pause in the speed increase can be seen which is due to a gear change in the LV.
3
Figure 1 - Speed Change followed by Gap Change
At 30 s, the gap size for all of the vehicles is increased from 7 m to 12 m. Note that since all of the vehicles are increasing their gap sizes at the same time, the vehicles at the rear of the platoon will decelerate at a higher rate than those at the front. Smoothness When the platoon is cruising at a stable speed, it is important to have stable gap sizes and stable speeds for each individual vehicle. Not only is this good for driver comfort and the driver’s confidence in the system, but it is also essential to achieve the best fuel consumption. In order to evaluate driver comfort, in addition to considering subjective evaluations from the drivers and passengers in each vehicle, the vehicle’s longitudinal acceleration was monitored. A summary of the statistical analysis of gap size and longitudinal acceleration for a typical test is shown in Table 1.
Vehicle σ of gap size (m)
σ of longitudinal acceleration (m/s2)
Lead truck (cruise control) n/a 0.018 Following truck 0.22 0.037 Following car 1 0.17 0.052 Following car 2 0.16 0.041 Following car 3 0.16 0.060
Table 1 - Standard Deviation of Gap Size and Longitudinal Acceleration
These levels of variation are low enough that subjectively, they cannot be felt, and can only be seen under very close observation when the gap sizes is set to a very low value. The amount of variation could be reduced further but this could potentially result in more energetic control
4
action which could result in poorer fuel consumption. A suitable balance between smoothness / stability and fuel consumption must be found. Harsh braking There are situations where the LV might have to brake harshly and, of course, the FVs will have to do the same. Figure 2 shows such a manoeuvre. The LV brakes harshly from about 80 km/h and it can be seen that the accelerations of all of the FVs follow the LV closely with delays which are much shorter than could be achieved by a human driver.
Figure 2 - Harsh Braking of the Lead Vehicle
Lateral control Using a combination of the FV’s own sensors and shared V2V data, the vehicle’s control system determines its target trajectory and then controls the steering system to follow that trajectory. Figure 3 shows a plot of the lateral control while travelling on a straight road. The units on the y-axis in the upper plot represent the curvature of the path that the vehicle is travelling on. It is proportional to steering wheel angle but has been converted to curvature in order to commonise the plots for different types of vehicle and their different steering ratios, especially when comparing trucks with cars. The lower plot shows the lateral control error. It is interesting to compare the performance of the automated control with that of a normal driver (i.e. manual control). The amount of steering correction made by the automated control system is comparable or better than those made by the driver. Although variations can still be seen on the plot, in the vehicle it feels smooth and stable and these variations are not felt.
5
Figure 4 shows a similar set of results but on a curved road. Once again, the automated control makes variations in steering wheel angle which are similar to the normal driver, and in the vehicle this feels smooth and stable.
Figure 3 - Straight Road Steering Performance - Car
Figure 4 - Curved Road Steering Performance - Car
A summary of the statistical analysis of lateral error for a typical test is shown in Table 2. The differences between vehicles are due mainly to differences in the individual vehicle’s steering systems.
6
Vehicle σ of lateral error (m)
Lead truck n/a Following truck 0.08 Following car 1 0.14 Following car 2 0.22 Following car 3 0.2
Table 2 - Standard Deviation of Lateral Error
Use Case manoeuvres A range of platooning Use Cases have been identified [3] to cover all of the manoeuvres that a platoon will have to go through including joining and leaving vehicles, driving in stop/start traffic jams, going through toll booths, etc. Join from Rear The most common way for a vehicle to join a platoon is for it to drive up behind the platoon and then follow a “join from rear” sequence. The joining sequence is basically split into two parts. In the first part, the driver switches to semi-automated mode where the system controls the speed but the driver controls the steering. This is basically similar to driving with cruise control. In the second part, the system takes over steering control, then reduces the gap further to the normal platooning gap.
Figure 5 - Join from Rear Sequence
This is shown in Figure 5 where the LV initially accelerates up to a stable speed with the FV driving manually behind it. At t = 18 s, the system takes over the speed control, asks the driver to take their feet off the pedals, and accelerates to reduce the gap to a transition point of
7
20 m, and holds that gap. The system then asks the driver to release the steering wheel and, when that is done, further reduces the gap to the normal cruising gap. Although the figure shows the joining sequence starting at a gap size of 30 m, during most of our testing, drivers tended to start the joining sequence at a shorter distance. The system is able to adapt to this, even if the joining sequence is started at a distance less than the transition point (20 m in the figure shown). Manual Overrides When the demonstration vehicles are being driven in automated mode, the driver is at all times able to override the steering, the accelerator and the brakes. What happens at the end of the override depends on the exact circumstances but as a general rule, the system will return to platooning as normal. The override itself is treated as an unusual event and therefore the platoon system will increase the appropriate safety margins for the relevant platoon vehicles.
Figure 6 - Manual Braking Override of a Platoon Vehicle
Figure 6 shows a platoon of 5 vehicles: one LV and four FVs. The driver in the last vehicle, FV4, carries out a steering override at about 440 s (note that the steering signal is not shown on the plot). As the system isn’t sure why the driver is overriding the steering, it will increase the safety margin for that vehicle by increasing its gap smoothly to the preceding vehicle from 7 m to about 17 m. At the end of the steering override, the system returns smoothly to the normal gap size. Non-platoon vehicle The platoon will share the road space with other non-platoon vehicles so there is a possibility that a non-platoon vehicle could enter in the middle of the platoon. Such a situation would be rare and would be discouraged, for example by having short inter-vehicle gaps, but they could
8
still occur. The demonstration system has been designed to handle some of these situations and an example is shown in Figure 7. In the upper part of the plot, the speeds of two platoon vehicles are shown. At t = 96 s, a non-platoon vehicle changes lane to enter the gap between the two platoon vehicles. It can be seen that the vehicle gap measured by the rearmost platoon vehicle, the host vehicle, drops suddenly from 20 m to 12 m. The host vehicle decelerates to increase the gap to the intruding vehicle in order to provide a larger safety margin, then maintains that gap. It can be seen by the host vehicle’s speed that the intruding vehicle is not driving at a constant speed, and that the host vehicle is matching that speed in order to maintain the gap size. At t = 131 s, the intruding vehicle changes lane to leave the platoon and the measured gap size jumps from 20 m to 38 m. The system then smoothly closes up the gap and continues as normal.
Figure 7 - Non-Platoon vehicle entering the platoon
In most real-world cases, it is expected that the non-platoon vehicle will not spend a long time within the platoon since it will typically want to go to another lane. Conclusions A demonstration system has been developed as part of the SARTRE project which uses production or close-to-production technologies allied with advanced control software which combines data from sensors and from other vehicles to achieve a coordinated control of all of the vehicles within the platoon. The system has been designed to handle a number of real-world scenarios, although further work would be required for a production-ready system. The majority of the testing has been carried out on test tracks, but some testing on a public
9
motorway in Spain was carried out in May 2012. Acknowledgements The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683. Project Partners: Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge Aachen (ika), Applus+ IDIADA, Ricardo, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Tecnalia, Volvo Cars, Volvo Technology References [1] SARTRE Project website www.sartre-project.eu [2] Carl Bergenhem, Erik Hedin, Daniel Skarin, “Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for a Platooning System”, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 48, 2012, Pages 1222-1233 [3] Eric Chan, Peter Gilhead, Pavel Jelinek, Petr Krejci, “SARTRE Cooperative Control of Fully Automated Platoon Vehicles”, ITS World Congress 2011
© Ricardo plc 2012
Eric Chan, Ricardo UK Ltd [email protected] 24th October 2012
Cooperative control of SARTRE automated platoon vehicles
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
2 © Ricardo plc 2012
SARTRE Overview
SARTRE objectives – Develop strategies and technologies for vehicle platoons
• Operating on public motorways / highways • No changes to the road and roadside infrastructure
– Develop a prototype platooning system • Assess under real world scenarios
– Evaluate the environmental, safety, congestion and convenience benefits – Illustrate new business models
• Benefits to lead vehicle operators and platoon subscribers
Overall concept – Lead vehicle driven normally by a trained
professional driver – Following vehicles have automated driving
Demonstrator system – Mixed vehicles: truck, SUV, station wagon /
estate, sedan / saloon
3 © Ricardo plc 2012
Longitudinal and Lateral Control
Longitudinal and lateral control based on – Host vehicle sensor data – Shared vehicle data via V2V comms
Calibrated for – Subjective smoothness and stability – Smoothness of control effort, for best
fuel economy
Measured smoothness – Longitudinal
• σ of gap size: 0.16 – 0.22 m – Lateral
• σ of lateral error: 0.08 – 0.22 m – Variations are dependent on individual
vehicle characteristics, not on position within platoon
4 © Ricardo plc 2012
Longitudinal Control – Speed and Gap Changes
Speed change – Minimal variations in gap sizes
Gap change – All gaps changing simultaneously, so vehicles at rear have a higher deceleration
5 © Ricardo plc 2012
Longitudinal Control – Harsh Braking Test
Following vehicles track the lead vehicle’s deceleration
Differences in responses due to variations in braking systems, not due to position in platoon
6 © Ricardo plc 2012
Lateral Control – Straight Road
Performance of automated lateral control system compared with manual steering
Comparable steering wheel movements
7 © Ricardo plc 2012
Lateral Control – Curved Road
Comparable automated vs. manual steering wheel movements
8 © Ricardo plc 2012
Use Cases – Demonstrator System
Use Case scenarios: the sequences of actions which the system will have to handle – Join & leave from rear – Maintain platoon
• Speed changes • Lane changes • Gap changes
– Special scenarios • Driver manual overrides • Degraded modes • Non-platoon
vehicles – Additional Use
Cases defined but not implemented in demonstrator
9 © Ricardo plc 2012
Conclusions
Control system performance is enhanced using real-time V2V data
Five vehicle road train of mixed types
Based on existing technologies with some software enhancements, combined with advanced control software
Up to 90 km/h and 4 m gaps – 90 km/h is truck speed limit
Interactions with non-platoon traffic
Tested on test tracks and public roads
Demonstrator system - not a production implementation
Fuel consumption results – 16% for following vehicles – 8% for lead vehicle
Operating Platoons On Public Motorways:
An Introduction To The SARTRE Platooning Programme
Tom Robinson (Project Director), Eric Chan (Chief Engineer) Ricardo UK Ltd, 400 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WH, UK
TEL: +44 1223 223200, FAX: +44 1223 223300, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Erik Coelingh
Technical Leader, Volvo Car Corporation, Dept 96260, PV4A 40531 Gothenburg, Sweden TEL: +46 31 597155, E-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT SARTRE [4] is a European Commission Co-Funded FP7 project that seeks to support a step
change in transport utilization. The project vision is to develop and integrate solutions that
allow vehicles to drive in platoons resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption (potentially up
to 20%), improvement in safety (anticipated 10% reduction in fatalities) and increased driver
convenience (autonomous systems for following vehicles). The project is exploring the issues
around operating platoons on public motorways and the integration of technologies necessary
to achieve this as well as a potential charging mechanism that supports the business case.
Where possible the project will use existing vehicle technologies to provide the enhanced
platooning functions. These will be demonstrated in a platoon of up to 5 vehicles.
SARTRE is a three year programme with 7 partners and not only addresses the integration and
development of technology necessary to implement a platooning system but also the human
factors that are relevant in the operation of the system. These human factors broadly fall into
three categories: driver of the lead vehicle, drivers of the following vehicles and drivers of
other vehicles on the motorway. The project aims to encourage a step change in personal
transport usage through the development of safe environmental road trains (platoons). Project
progress may be monitored via the project website [4].
This paper provides an overview of the SARTRE project and the specific approach taken by
the partners that will result in a prototype platoon being available for demonstration in 2012.
The paper also presents some of the initial results identified in the programme.
INTRODUCTION Work has been undertaken on platooning for
several years with various scenarios being
proposed, however these solutions have
typically required significant modification to
the roadside infrastructure or even dedicated
lanes. With the increased reliability and
reduced cost of electronics and
communications over the last 10 years it is
becoming viable to develop a safe and
reliable platooning system, however there
are still significant challenges with platoons interacting with conventional traffic on public
motorways. There are also significant acceptability issues that mean the adoption of platoons
on public motorways is not likely to be a near term reality even with the understood
environmental, safety and convenience benefits. The SARTRE project will more fully
understand the issues around platooning on public motorways and develop solutions that help
address the acceptability issues thus encouraging the modal shift towards vehicle platoons.
The overall concept of a SARTRE platoon is that the lead vehicle will be driven as normal by
a trained, professional driver, and the following vehicles will be driven fully automatically by
the system, allowing the drivers to perform tasks other than driving their vehicles
THE BENEFITS The project addresses three cornerstones of transportation issues: environment, safety and
congestion while also encouraging driver acceptance through increased “driver comfort”.
In the "Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) program" in the US during the
1990s an average benefit of about 20 % improvement in fuel consumption has been estimated
for highway (= high speed) driving in platoons [2]. This benefit varies with the number of
vehicles, the vehicle spacing and the aerodynamic geometry of vehicles.
A TRL report [3] states that 18% of road fatalities are the result of driver inattention. The
platoon incorporates a significant level of driving automation whereby for extended periods
“drivers” of following vehicles concede their control to the lead vehicle and local autonomous
systems. Thus road train users should benefit safety-wise from having a trained professional
driver in the lead vehicle with autonomous control systems while within the platoon. Suitable
scenarios for platoon operation that may lead to improved road safety will be identified on the
project.
For the congestion benefits of platooning, SARTRE will reduce the speed variability of
vehicles thus improving the overall traffic flow. It is necessary to discriminate between
different traffic conditions [1] (free traffic, collapsing traffic, synchronic inhomogeneous
Figure Figure Figure Figure 1111 Platoon Illustration Platoon Illustration Platoon Illustration Platoon Illustration
traffic and stop&go traffic) with potential benefits from all but free traffic. For collapsing
traffic it is expected that the highest benefits will be reached with platoons where vehicle gaps
are reduced to a minimum. For “synchronic inhomogeneous traffic” (characterised by both
varying traffic flow and average velocity) a significant improvement can be expected through
autonomous guidance which helps to reduce these fluctuations. For stop&go, traffic platoon
vehicles will leave traffic jams faster than a human driver, leading to a more rapid reduction in
congestion.
THE TECHNICAL APPROACH The project objectives can therefore be summarised with the following points:
• Define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate
on public motorways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure
• Enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such
that a number of the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios
• Show how platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements
• Illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with
benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers
In order to address the above objectives SARTRE has drawn on a number of systems
engineering techniques that are being used to define project assumptions and requirements.
This paper will discuss the tasks and approach undertaken and how the results are being
reviewed and consolidated to derive the project assumptions and requirements, examples
include: Defining Terminology, Use Case Analysis, Traffic Modelling, Driver Simulation,
Safety and Vulnerability Analysis.
Figure 2 shows the work packages being
undertaken on the programme.
Each work package is focussing on a
particular set of activities, some of which
occur in parallel and some that are distinctly
sequential. The complexity of platooning
systems and the number of engineering
dimensions that needs to be considered lead
to a high degree of parallelism in the
methodology. This parallelism is often being
undertaken by several partners at once,
requiring regular, quality focussed
communication. The approach taken by
SARTRE is to hold frequent task specific conference calls that are supported by face to face
meetings when appropriate.
WP2 ConceptDefinition
WP3 Implementation
WP4 Validation WP5 Assessment
WP
1 Managem
ent
WP
6 Dissem
ination
Figure Figure Figure Figure 2222 SARTRE Work Packages SARTRE Work Packages SARTRE Work Packages SARTRE Work Packages
For example, there are a number of options to undertake a “join” manoeuvre (whereby a
potential following vehicle – PFV – joins the platoon and becomes a following vehicle - FV).
One option is where the FV approaches the platoon and fully automated driving is engaged in
one step, an alternative would be where semi-autonomous driving is engaged prior to full
automated driving. The criterion for deciding which approach should be taken is dependent on
a number of factors and the task force allows experts from each research area to contribute
towards the decision.
Concept Definition Phase
The specific challenges that are being faced on SARTRE can be highlighted through a brief
explanation of the tasks undertaken in the Concept Phase to determine requirements and
system architecture. The requirements may be categorised as follows:
• Commercial Requirements - Potential new business model, Financial transaction
mechanisms, System security (e.g. data privacy, data theft prevention...), Acceptability
(e.g. availability and access to platoons)
• User Requirements - Platoon users (e.g. driver convenience, system usability, driver
readiness), Other road users (e.g. avoid disruption, enhance traffic flow)
• Safety Requirements -Platoon users (e.g. neutral or positive impact on safety), Other road
users
• Pre-Requisites - Technical Requirements (e.g. use of existing sensor technology)
• Legislative Requirements - Compliance with existing legislation (e.g. applicability of the
Vienna Convention), consideration of potential new or revised legislation (e.g. new lead
vehicle driver training)
The above list highlights some of the categories that platoon requirements may fall into and
also hints at the complex criteria that will lead to agreed Platoon System Requirements.
A number of systems engineering activities have been undertaken in the Concept Definition
phase:
• Use Cases Analysis – capturing the use cases for platoon vehicles, non-platoon vehicles
and back office systems, considering “normal”, “alternative” and “exception” use cases
• Traffic Simulation – modelling platoon use cases in PELOPS to assess the impact on, and
impact of, other road users
• Human Factors Study – simulating platoon manoeuvres to assess the likely human
reactions and perceptions given a number of different use cases and platoon parameters,
see [5]
• Safety Analysis – defining an initial functional architecture and assessing this for safety
issues as well as important non-safety issues (e.g. privacy protection & financial security)
• System Design & Requirements Definition – considering available sensors and actuators,
defining conceptual requirements, implementation requirements and an architecture to be
implemented
A core objective of the Concept Definition is to identify which use cases should be
demonstrated as part of the programme. One example of this is whether to demonstrate one or
more non-platoon vehicles interacting with the platoon. Given that a significant number of
challenges can be demonstrated with a single interaction the programme will initially cater for
only one “other vehicle” interaction.
Implementation Phase
The implementation phase will develop a platooning system with two trucks and three cars.
Particular tasks undertaken in this phase are:
• Update safety analysis – as the architecture develops update the safety analysis using
AutoFMEA™ to insert faults into the model and assess system safety
• Develop lead vehicle systems (Truck) – develop and integrate new truck systems, includes
sensor (including location) and sensor fusion system, platoon management function and
HMI
• Develop following vehicle systems (Truck and Car) – develop and integrate following
vehicle systems, includes sensor (including location) and sensor fusion system, actuator
systems, automated driving systems and
HMI
• Develop communication systems – develop
vehicle to vehicle communications that
allows lead vehicle to communicate with and
control following vehicles
• Develop remote systems – develop simple
back office system to demonstrate some back
office use cases (e.g. find platoon), includes
the telematics module for V2I
communications
• Integration testing of systems – define an
integration test plan that allows individual
system elements to be tested and any issues
fixed with minimal complication
Key functional elements that have been defined
are: sensing, sensor fusion, actuation, vehicle
automation, platoon management, safety monitoring, human machine interface,
communications.
It is anticipated that the high level architecture for the demonstrator will be as in Figure 3.
Validation Phase
The validation phase will test the platoon system to ensure it performs as designed.
FigurFigurFigurFigure e e e 3333 Assumed Physical Architecture Assumed Physical Architecture Assumed Physical Architecture Assumed Physical Architecture
Location Module (IKA)
Communications Module
V2I (IKA)
V2V (SP)
Sensor/Actuation Module (OEMS)
Sensors
Actuators
rCube Control/Safety Module (Ricardo)
Vehicle Control
Platoon Manager
HMI Module
Display (IKA)
InCar PC (IKA)
Audio (Tecnalia)
Haptic (Tecnalia)
Enhanced GPS
Antennae
CAN Converter (IKA)Controller
Activities include:
• Validate on-vehicle systems – test vehicle systems work to the defined prototype
safety requirements, test functionality works at the required reliability
• Validate end-to-end system – test the complete platooning system works to the defined
prototype safety requirements, test functionality works at the required reliability
• Assess fuel consumption performance improvements – define and instigate a test plan
and to allow actual fuel savings to be measured when platooning
Assessment Phase
The assessment phase is focuses on assessing the non-technical issues relating to platooning,
activities include:
• Assess commercial viability – consider the business case and issues around this such
as system cost, perceived value for users and potential liability issues
• Analyse net impact on infrastructure and environment – based on test results, platoon
conceptual requirements and demonstration results report on potential impact on
infrastructure and the environment
• Assess potential policy impacts – explore implications and constraints of existing
legislation on platooning including the potential for new legislation
• Undertake stakeholder assessments – undertake a number of stakeholder workshops to
obtain external (to the project) feedback on the programme and results (including
demonstration of the operating platoon)
INITIAL RESULTS During the concept phase it was necessary to refine a set of programme assumptions and
pre-requisites, both from a platoon concept perspective and also from a project perspective. The
following list illustrates some of the assumptions defined, not all of these assumptions will be
implemented in the demonstrator:
• There are no changes to road infrastructure
• … limitations and requirements for motorways… from guidelines for the construction of
motorways in Germany “RAS-L Richtliniezur Anlage von Straßen – Teil
Linienführung”….
• Emergency is defined as a possible violation of platooning principles in order to avoid an
accident. The result can either be maintaining the platoon or dissolving it. The following
emergency situations will be considered:
o Emergency obstacle avoidance (all vehicles to follow the leader’s trajectory)
o Emergency lane change (vehicles don’t follow the exact trajectory)
o A vehicle driving sideways towards a platoon vehicle
o Emergency stop (driver in LV braking maximally)
o LV mistakes (e.g. LV leaving the road, colliding with another object)
o Radio contact lost within platoon
• A minimal platoon is one LV and one FV.
• A platoon has a maximum size. If a PPV wants to join a platoon of maximum size, join
will not be allowed.
• A platoon is not explicitly rearranged i.e. if no change of number of vehicles occurs then
the order of FVs is the same.
• Dynamically varying size of gaps between vehicles in a platoon is allowed i.e. there is no
requirement for maintaining a fixed distance.
• A truck/bus is not allowed to follow a car.
• An FV can run at any speed from zero up to maximum speed without any driver
involvement (thus automatic gearbox is required).
• If required response time is shorter than possible for a human to achieve then autonomous
driving handles the situation.
In addition to pre-requisites a number of terms have been defined to minimise confusion over
actors during participant discussions. Key definitions are as follows:
BO (Back Office) Back office is an infrastructure unit supporting platooning.
FV (Following Vehicle) A vehicle, truck, bus or car, in a platoon behind an LV.
LV (Lead Vehicle) LV is the lead vehicle of a platoon and is a truck or bus.
OV (Other Vehicle) A vehicle that will never join a platoon but may affect it.
PFV (Potential Following Vehicle) A PPV that in a platoon becomes a FV.
PLV (Potential Lead Vehicle) A PPV that in a platoon becomes an LV.
Given the pre-requisites, a number of use cases have been defined to represent how actors will
interact with and within the platoon. The high level use cases have been identified as follows:
Create Platoon, Join Platoon, Maintain Platoon, Leave Platoon, Dissolve Platoon, Register,
Guide to Platoon, Handle Platoon Status, Charge Platooning vehicle. Further explanation of
these may be found in a separate paper [6].
Each use case has been defined for “normal” modes with refinement for “alternative” and
“exception” use cases, e.g. Join could have three alternative use cases:
• A PFV joins a platoon via Back office.
• A PFV joins a platoon directly (without Back office assistance).
• A PLV in front of a platoon wants to join the platoon
An example “Exception” Use Case for Join would be if a PFV experiences an emergency
resulting in the PFV not joining the platoon.
The use case analysis has enabled a simple state diagram Figure 5 to be defined illustrating the various platoon states and transitions. Figure 5
was subsequently used as the basis for a Platoon Vehicle state transition diagram and an Other Vehicle state transition diagram. From this simple
state diagram it can be seen that the number of vehicles is an important factor that illustrates the complexity.
Table 1 highlights the relative complexity in resolving issues raised
with some of the closing decisions made. As each question is
considered a number of dependencies become highlighted, for
example, the answer to “1” in Table 1 is dependent on a number of
other questions:
• What is the likely relative speed of the PFV when trying to join?
Not extremesize
Minimal size:One LV, one FV Maximal size
Non existingCreate
Dissolve
Leave
Join
Leave
Join
Dissolve
Dissolve
JoinLeave
OV enters platoon
OV enters platoon
OV enters platoon
Figure Figure Figure Figure 5555 Platoon StatesPlatoon StatesPlatoon StatesPlatoon States
PFV
PLV
FV
LV
Transition condition:• LV is a qualified Truck/Bus and driver is platoon trained
Transition condition: • Car, OR• Not LV qualified Truck/Bus, OR• Not platoon trained driver of Truck/Bus
Transition condition:• LV leaves platoon control to FV immediately behind which is a qualified Truck/Bus, its driver is platoon trained and agrees to take over.
Transition condition:• PLV in front of platoon is a qualified Truck/Bus, its driver is platoon trained and agrees to take over platoon control from LV
Figure Figure Figure Figure 4444 Platoon Vehicle Platoon Vehicle Platoon Vehicle Platoon Vehicle StatesStatesStatesStates
Not close toplatoon
In front ofplatoon
(same lane)
Behindplatoon
(same lane)
Within lengthof platoon
(other lane)
Insideplatoon
(same lane)
Figure Figure Figure Figure 6666 Other Vehicle States Other Vehicle States Other Vehicle States Other Vehicle States
• What is the best method of transitioning between manual and automated control?
• When does the LV “take control” of the PFV?
Item Issue Relative
Complexity
Inputs Closing Decision
1 What is the maximum number of
vehicles allowed in the Platoon?
Medium Human Factors
Traffic Modelling
No final decision but likely to recommend platoon is
no more than 15 vehicles
2 Should a Join/Leave be allowed from
the Front and Side?
Low Human Factors
Traffic Modelling
Join and leave should be allowed from front, side and
rear.
3 Should the programme consider platoon
operation in all environmental
conditions?
Medium Safety Analysis &
Human Factors
Consider all environmental conditions
4 Does the platoon need to consider
overtaking by the platoon?
Low Use Case analysis
Human Factors &
Traffic Modelling
We have to consider overtaking.
5 Should the platoon operate on a single
lane restriction motorway
Medium Traffic Modelling &
Human Factors
We will only consider operation on two or more
lanes.
6 Should a platoon join/leave manoeuvre
transition via a semi-automated
(longitudinal control only) state?
High Safety Analysis
Human Factors
Traffic Modelling
Business Case
Join and Leave will include a semi-autonomous state.
9 How does the platoon have to react to
an OV that forces itself into the
platoon?
High Safety Analysis
Human Factors
Traffic Modelling
Business Case
Safely maintain the platoon around the OV for a
short period of time then dissolve all FV behind the
OV.
Item Issue Relative
Complexity
Inputs Closing Decision
10 What frequency of dissolve and reform
of platoons (temporary dissolve) is
acceptable concerning the business case
Medium Human Factors
Business Case
Traffic Modelling
People are ok with up to 3 dissolves in a period of 20
minutes.
11 Driver not obeying platooning rules High Business Case
Safety Analysis
Human Factors
When the driver does not respond to requests from
the system, after suitable warnings, consider
imposing a financial penalty on that driver. This
will vary for each scenario. In the most extreme
case, consider stopping the platoon close to when the
LV will leave the motorway, then carrying out a
dissolve
12 Should a driver in an FV be allowed to
take control of the brakes, accelerator
pedal and steering
High Business Case
Safety Analysis
Human Factors
We should generally allow overrides but there may
be cases when overrides are not allowed. Need to
differentiate between overrides due to emergency or
due to driver wanting to leave.
If an FV does a lateral override, other FVs behind it
should aim to follow the LV and not the overridden
FV. Other FVs need to be told that an FV has gone
into manual override mode. For “Longitudinal
control overridden” state, if gap becomes too big,
dissolve following FVs. Sound alarm when in
manual override mode.
Table 1 Sample Platoon Issue
CONCLUSION A number of technical, economic, social and legal issues have been identified on SARTRE.
To resolve these and reach key decisions, a sophisticated set of tools and activities have been
utilized to better understand the issues and options. To be able to understand the platoon
concept and also define what will be implemented as a demonstrator, it is necessary to analyse
the various task results, consider the implications and tradeoffs of certain decisions and reach
a consensus on a “closing decision”. Each of these steps are enabled through the application
of regular “Task Force Discussions” where programme members can each contribute to
discussions and support the final agreement.
From the work undertaken to date, there remain a considerable number of complex issues to
resolve and these may lead to decisions that could be seen as controversial. Once the
SARTRE team has completed the analysis it may therefore be appropriate to discuss the
potentially controversial decisions with a wider audience during one of the planned
stakeholder workshops.
As well as identifying these complex issues, a number of platoon strategies have been defined
that will be further developed, tested and demonstrated on the SARTRE programme. These
strategies will be implemented on a platoon with two trucks and three cars. These vehicles
will be equipped with existing sensors and actuators (though there may be additional units
installed) to demonstrate the relative maturity of some of the key platooning components.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
Project Partners: Institut Für Kraftfahrzeuge (IKA), Idiada, Ricardo, SP Sweden,
Tecnalia-Rbtk, Volvo Cars, Volvo Technology.
REFERENCES [1] “Traffic Effects of Driver Assistance Systems – The Approach within INVENT”, Dr –Ing Thomas Benz, Frederic Christen, Dr Georg Lerner, Matthias Schulze, Dieter Vollmer [2] Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) program "The Aerodynamic Performance of Platoons - A Final Report" [3] Broughton,J.andWalter,L.(2007) TrendsinFatalCarAccidents:Analysisof CCIS Data,.TRL Report No.PPR172.Crowthorne:TRL Limited [4] SARTRE Project website www.sartre-project.net [5] “SAFE ROAD TRAINS FOR ENVIRONMENT: Human factors’ aspects in dual mode transport systems”, Maider Larburu, Javier Sanchez and Domingo José Rodriguez, 2010 [6] “Challenges of Platooning On Public Motorways”, Carl Bergenhem, Qihui Huang, Ahmed Benmimoun, Tom Robinson, 2010
1
CHALLENGES OF PLATOONING
ON PUBLIC MOTORWAYS
Carl Bergenhem Researcher, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Box 857, SE-504 62 Borås, Sweden TEL +46-10-516 5553, [email protected]
Qihui Huang, Ahmed Benmimoun (Head) - Driver Assistance Department,
RWTH Aachen University - Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (IKA), Steinbachstr. 7, 52072 Aachen, Germany
Tom Robinson
Project Director, Ricardo UK Ltd, 400 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB40WH, UK
ABSTRACT
Road-trains or platoons present a significant opportunity to both improve traffic efficiency and to improve the efficiency and safety of vehicles within the platoon. However, for platoons to be viable there should be minimal impact on supporting infrastructure which implies that platoons will operate on unmodified public motorways. The European Commission FP7 co-funded SARTRE project aims to examine issues for allowing platoons to operate on public motorways under these conditions. This paper discusses the SARTRE concept of platoons and the associated challenges such as interaction with other road users. Descriptions of core concept and definitions are made. Initial simulations are described and presented. A brief overview of the communication system is made.
INTRODUCTION
SARTRE is a European Commission FP7 co-funded project [1]. It will build on existing results and experience and analyse the feasibility of vehicle platoons (consisting of both trucks/busses and passenger cars) as a realistic future transport and mobility concept. SARTRE aims to examine the operation of platoons on unmodified public motorways with full interaction with other vehicles. This is a significant technical challenge, of which the complexity can be illustrated through a simple example; how does a platoon allow a vehicle to leave the motorway at an imminent junction by transitioning through the platoon – or is this allowed at all? To achieve a solution that is both safe and convenient for the platoon users and for other road users requires careful consideration and exploration. So far the feasibility of
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platooning has been analysed in some European projects (PROMOTE CHAUFFEUR I+II [3], German national project KONVOI [4]) and international projects (PATH [2] in USA). These projects were focusing mainly on the technical feasibility of the concept. Moreover, in KONVOI the focus was set only on platooning of trucks. Although the SARTRE concept aims to increase traffic safety, there will also be new hazards associated with platooning. The project undertakes a number of activities to identify new hazards such as impaired drivers, altered driver behaviour, technical failures of the vehicles and new applications using an existing road infrastructure.
SARTRE PLATOONING CONCEPT
The SARTRE definition of platooning implies that the platoon is led by a vehicle which is driven by a professional driver, such as a truck or bus. This driver must have a valid licence and is assumed to have additional training for leading a platoon. The following vehicles are under automated longitudinal and lateral control. These drivers are hence able to undertake other tasks e.g. using a mobile telephone. The following vehicle driver must be able to take over control of the vehicle in the event of a controlled or unforeseen dissolving of the platoon. A challenge with such situations is to decide when it is safer to remain in automated control rather than give manual control to the driver. The SARTRE concept will also investigate the requirements of a “back office“ that supports platooning. This will deal with business oriented functions functions such as guidance to platoons, charging etc. The platoon can consist of both heavy vehicles, e.g. trucks or busses, and passenger vehicles i.e. cars. A truck or buss can be either a lead vehicle (if driver is properly trained) or a following vehicle (automated control) if correct equipment is installed. In the SARTRE programme, a car can only be a following vehicle in a platoon (assuming it is properly equipped). It is currently assumed that for safety reasons a car may never travel in a platoon between two heavy vehicles, i.e. trucks/busses. The project goal of increasing fuel efficiency implies that platoon vehicles must travel with reduced gaps between them. To achieve this goal an appropriate longitudinal and lateral control system must be designed. In vehicles that are currently being produced there are systems such as adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation by braking and lane departure warning. SARTRE plans to use sensors and actuators from state-of-the-art production systems, e.g. forward looking camera and 76 GHz radar etc. Each vehicle must also be equipped with a local control system. To achieve global control over the platoon, a communication system that interconnects the vehicles must be devised. This presents some significant technical
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challenges when the safety requirements are considered and is likely to require a backup communications mechanism. The control strategy for the platoon will be a combination of local control where each vehicle individually senses its environment and global control where the lead vehicle decides set-points e.g. following distance and speed. Global control may also be required to avoid oscillations in the platoon as these will have a detrimental effect on fuel efficiency, safety and also passenger comfort.
DEFINITIONS FOR PLATOONING
This section describes some of the definitions that have been made in SARTRE. The platooning concept contains a set of combined use cases and procedures which describe the complete concept including how to join, maintain and dissolve platoons. The concept also contains definitions of driver vehicle interaction, terminology, prerequisites and assumptions. The definitions in Table 1 have been made for platooning.
Table 1: Definitions for platooning
Concept Description
Autonomous driving Both lateral and longitudinal autonomous control. The technical equipment controls the vehicle without
driver involvement. This is only possible for an FV.
BO (Back office) Back office is an infrastructure unit that supports the back office administrator. BO also covers toll booths.
BUC (Back office Use Case) Back office Use Case concerns services for making platooning economically feasible, hire charging and
guiding vehicle to suitable platoon
FV (Following Vehicle) A vehicle, truck, bus or car, in a platoon behind an LV. FV is controlled without driver involvement while in
the platoon
LV (Lead Vehicle) LV is the lead vehicle of a platoon and is a truck or bus. LV is controlled by a driver.
OV (Other Vehicle) A vehicle that will never join a platoon but may affect it.
PFV (Potential Following
Vehicle)
A PFV is not currently platooning, but may do so. When in a platoon this vehicle is an FV.
Platoon A platoon is a number of vehicles that are travelling together and electronically connected (e.g. via wireless
communication). There is one LV and one or more FVs. The FV(s) of a platoon are controlled autonomously
while the LV is controlled manually.
PLV (Potential Lead Vehicle) A PLV is not currently leading a platoon, but may do so. A PLV in a platoon becomes LV.
PPV (Potential Platoon
Vehicle)
A vehicle that may be included in a platoon. PPV is controlled manually. A PPV in a platoon is either an FV
or LV
PUC (Platoon Use Case) A UC concerning the behaviour of a platoon.
PV (Platoon Vehicle) An LV or FV. In the case of FV it is controlled autonomously.
System A system is here a logical grouping of platoon and Back office Use Cases containing the overall required
behaviour.
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USE CASES A Use Case is a form of requirement specification that describes an interaction between one or more actors and a system to accomplish a goal. The SARTRE Use Cases are divided into Platoon Use Cases (PUCs) and Back office Use Cases (BUCs). PUCs relate to the structure of the platoon and its primary operation. BUCs relate to infrastructure issues such as charging, navigating to a platoon etc. A system in this context should be thought of as a grouping of related Use Cases containing the overall required behaviour. At the highest Use Case level there is a system that includes both the platoon (PUC) and the Back office functionalities (BUC), see Figure 1.
• The platoon part of the system is dynamic since there could be different number of vehicles involved or there can be no platoon in existence. Different Use Cases are thus applicable depending on situation.
• The Back office part of the system is static in capabilities and interfaces.
Figure 1 shows the principle view of the system with the two general types of actors. Use Cases are grouped according to purpose in PUC and BUC groups. Each group can contain more specific use cases. The Use Case groups are summarised in Table 2.
Table 2: Summary of Use Cases
PUC Groups Description
Create platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked when a PLV and a PFV wish to initiate a new platoon. The PLV driver is properly
trained. Back office services are normally used for identifying a target LV, guidance to it and financial transactions.
However, it is also possible that the PFV can find a target LV by chance. One PLV and one PFV are involved.
Join Platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked when a PLV or PFV wish to join a platoon. The platoon consists of one LV and at
least one FV. Back office services are normally used for identifying a suitable platoon, guidance to it and financial
transactions. However, it is also possible that the PLV/PFV can find the platoon by chance. One PLV or PFV and one
platoon are involved.
Figure 1: The system and top level actor types
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Maintain
platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked when speed, longitudinal or lateral position of one or more FVs have to be
adjusted and when an LV or FV wants to continue in the platoon longer than initially decided. One platoon is involved
with its LV and FV(s).
Leave Platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked when an LV or FV wishes to leave the platoon it is currently part of. A leaving FV
becomes a PFV and a leaving LV becomes a PLV thus under manual control. The platoon still exists after the LV or
FV has left. One platoon and one FV of the platoon are involved. In the case of the LV leaving there must exist a PLV
that can “take over” otherwise the platoon is dissolved.
Dissolve
platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked in the following cases:
• when an LV wants to leave the platoon in a controlled manner
• when an FV wants to leave the platoon with only two members in a controlled manner.
• when there are too many OVs within the platoon. Note that OVs can never participate in platooning
• when there is an emergency
After dissolution of the platoon, the LV and FV(s) become PLV and PFV(s) respectively and will thus be under
manual control.
BUC Groups Description
Register The UCs in this group are relevant for a vehicle interested in becoming a member of a platoon. The following
functionality is supported:
• To register information, e.g. platoon is created, number and type of vehicles, destination
• To check if truck/bus driver is platoon trained.
Handle platoon
status
The UCs in this group are invoked when platoon status has changed and Back office needs to be informed. Examples
of change includes platoon dissolution, FV or LV leave and emergency situations
Charge platoon The UCs in this group are invoked when financial transactions (payment and crediting) shall be made. Principles for
financial transactions are not specified. It could be handled in advance, partial or full, or afterwards. An example of
functionality is FV payment to LV via the BO.
Guide to
platoon
The UCs in this group are invoked when road guidance is needed. The following functionality is supported:
• Find target PLV - PFV and give guidance information to PFV driver how to find PLV.
• Find target platoon - PFV and give guidance information to PFV driver how to find the platoon.
MODELLING PLATOON STRATEGY
In a first step the SARTRE concept is refined and analysed in detail by means of virtual implementation using the simulation tool PELOPS. The use cases are implemented with corresponding simulation scenarios. These simulations are used to further refine the platooning concept. For example a join manoeuvre may occur in different ways; from the rear, side or front with several different control strategies being used. These approaches are implemented in simulation and compared with respect to performance and efficiency. Simulations also help to identify system requirements and limitations. Requirements are
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related to platoon modules like e.g. sensors (communication range and latency, accuracy etc.). Simulations based on the defined concept and high level requirements help platoon limitations to be derived (e.g. maximum number of platoon vehicles to avoid string instability). OVERVIEW OF PELOPS PELOPS (Program for the DEvelopment of LOngitudinal Traffic Processes in System Relevant Environment) is a (sub)-microscopic traffic model and represents a combination of a detailed sub-microscopic vehicle model and a microscopic traffic model. This allows for the analytical investigation of the vehicle longitudinal dynamic behaviour as well as the traffic flow. The advantage of this method is to consider all interactions that take place between the driver, vehicle and traffic. PELOPS [7] has been developed in cooperation with BMW within PROMETHEUS [8] and has been enhanced continuously since 1989. Contrary to classical simulation tools in the automotive industry, which represent only a part system or single isolated vehicle, the core of PELOPS comprises the three significant elements of the traffic system - track/environment, driver and vehicle - and their interactions. These three elements are modelled in a modular program structure and defined by interfaces, see Figure 2.
Figure 2: PELOPS structure
PLATOONING IN PELOPS In order to allow the simulation of platoons according to the defined use cases and SARTRE concepts the models in PELOPS have been enhanced. The enhancements of PELOPS have been made under consideration of the experience gained in previous projects, in particular the German national project KONVOI [4]. A generic platoon control, which can take over the longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicle in case of autonomous driving, can now be “build in” in the vehicle. The technical equipment controls the vehicle without driver involvement. This situation can only occur for a following vehicle. The lead vehicle is always
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controlled manually by the PELOPS driver. The platoon control is a dynamic link library (DLL) that is loaded at runtime. Every vehicle in a PELOPS simulation scenario can be equipped with a platoon control. In order to simulate the HMI in the real vehicle, a virtual HMI manager has been developed. It manages the information to and from the driver like requests (e.g. leave, join, etc.), acknowledgements (e.g. dissolve, leave, join, etc), cancel (joining, leaving) or discard joining. Furthermore, the HMI manager computes the platoon status and provides information to the driver and to the platoon control. The data exchange between PELOPS and the virtual HMI manager is realised by means of an Ethernet connection using broadcasting method. With help of a graphical user interface messages can be sent. Furthermore, this graphical user interface displays information (position, velocity, distance to vehicle ahead, platoon status, etc.) of the specified (potential) platoon vehicle. Besides using a vehicle model of PELOPS database, external vehicle models (e.g. MATLAB/Simulink models of VCC and VTEC) can be taken into consideration in PELOPS by means of the Ethernet based data exchange as well. A common interface has been elaborated in cooperation with the project partners. This interface to MATLAB/Simulink vehicle models enables both the inputs from a driver in case of manual mode and the inputs of the platoon control in case of autonomous mode. Furthermore, in order to visualize the traffic simulation during runtime, PELOPS can be coupled to a visualization software by means of the above described broadcast-messaging. In summary Figure 3 illustrates the simulation environment for analysis of platoon concepts.
Figure 3: PELOPS simulation environment for platooning
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In addition the implementation of the above described systems and vehicle models, PELOPS' driver model has been adapted too. This modification concerns the driver-vehicle (system) interaction, so that the possibility is given to keep the driver in the loop (for monitoring and overriding the system), if needed. The transition from manual to autonomous driving and vice-versa is of particular importance. SIMULATION RESULTS Based on the defined use cases and concepts, several simulation scenarios have been generated to analyze the SARTRE platooning concept. Important aspects like the proper gap size for joining and leaving, the time needed for creating, joining or leaving a platoon, string stability, the influence on the traffic flow, e.g. at highway entrances and exits and fuel consumption etc. can be investigated. Some of the simulation results are presented in this chapter. In the first step, the following Use Cases have been simulated in different scenarios; based on use cases. The type of vehicles and desired platooning gap size was varied:
• Create Platoon • Dissolve Platoon • Join Platoon from 1) rear, 2) side and 3) front • Leave Platoon from 1) side and 2) front • Maintain Platoon
Figure 4 illustrates the Use Case Create Platoon as an example. Because results can vary depending on the type of the FV, two variants have been simulated; one with a car as FV (variant 1) and another with a truck as FV (variant 2). The simulation result for variant 2 is shown in Figure 5. Here, the creation of the platoon lasts from 38 s to 83 s, which corresponds to a time for creating the platoon of 45 seconds.
Figure 4: Creation of a platoon, variant 1 (above) and variant 2 (below)
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Figure 5: Creation of a platoon, simulation results of variant 2 (10 m platooning distance)
The simulations show that all considered leaving and joining use cases are principally feasible. The duration of every Use Case has been extracted. Table 3 summarises each variant.
Table 3: Comparison of time needed for different variants of Use Cases
Use Case Variant Duration
Create/Join from behind
FV is a car, platooning distance of 10 m 37 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m 45 sec.
FV is a car, platooning distance of 5 m 40 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m 48 sec.
Join from side
Joining vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 10 m 22 sec.
Joining vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m 24 sec.
Joining vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 5 m 60 sec.
Joining vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m 75 sec.
Join from front Platooning distance of 10 m 47 sec.
Platooning distance of 5 m 55 sec.
Leave from side
Leaving vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 10 m 26 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m 32 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 5 m 45 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m 55 sec.
Leave from front Platooning distance of 10 m 57 sec.
Platooning distance of 5 m 60 sec.
Dissolve/leave from behind
FV is a car, platooning distance of 10 m 54 sec.
FV is a truck,platooning distance of 10 m 53 sec.
FV is a car, platooning distance of 5 m 55 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m 57 sec.
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Figure 6: Plot of distance between PVs under sinusoidal excitation and 10 m target platooning
distance
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The durations (Table 3) vary from 22 to 75 seconds. Because of the limited acceleration capabilities of trucks compared to cars, the Use Case variants with trucks have generally a longer duration. The simulation showed that it is possible to reach string stability for the systems used for a platoon with up to 10 vehicles on a flat road without curves. Figure 6 show the plots for the distance of all PV for a 'sinusoidal excitation'. The LV is forced to follow a sinusoidal velocity curve with a mean value of 80 kph, a period of 20 s and an amplitude of 3 kph. The first figure shows an unstable simulation and the second figure a stable control behaviour after adjusting the controller parameter. In order to analyze the influence of the inaccuracies in the sensor systems on the string stability, several simulations have been conducted with sensor noises and inaccuracy. Two variants of sensor accuracy level have been simulated. The first one is a +/-1% range and velocity inaccuracy level, which the current available sensors can offer. And the second variants is a +/-10% inaccuracy level. The simulation results showed that the sensor inaccuracy has impact on the string stability. But current available sensors have very low inaccuracy levels and thus the string stability can be achieved with real sensors. The final set of prioritised platooning strategies is still being defined on the project. Moving from the generic platoon control strategy used in the above analysis to a tailored algorithm that will be implemented in the implementation phase of SARTRE will lead to a more refined understanding of the parameters. For this reason, the simulation work is being continued to support the ongoing development and implementation of the demonstration system. The agreement of a final set of parameters will be an iterative process (presentation and discussion of simulation results definition of new simulations) that is likely to be continued throughout the project.
PLATOON COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
The communication system can be seen as a complex data exchange mechanism within the platoon, to potential platoon vehicles and to the back office. Communication between vehicles is denoted V2V communication. The main task for V2V is communication to control and coordinate the movement of the platoon – PUC. Communication between vehicle and BO is denoted V2I communication. Hence the “infrastructure” refers to the BO. The main tasks for V2I is business and guidance oriented communication, see BUC in the section on platoon definitions. In SARTRE we foresee that this communication is implemented with 5,9GHz IEEE802.11p [5] as the main communication channel, see Figure 7. The V2V communication module connects to the vehicle with a CAN interface. The communication module is currently
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planned to be implemented with an ALIX 3D3 [6] embedded pc. A backup communication channel may also be needed. For the demonstrator, this can be a second 5,9 GHz radio channel or a different frequency wireless communications mechanism, such as 2,4 GHz WLAN or a different technology, such as UMTS.
CONCLUSIONS
We have presented opportunities and challenges with the SARTRE project. The project aims to encourage step change in transportation technology. Systems will be developed to enable platooning with a lead vehicle (with a professional trained driver) on unmodified public roads. The following vehicles are under automated longitudinal and lateral control. The drivers of the following vehicles may utilise journey time to relax or work. Additional benefits are increased safety and decreased fuel consumption/emissions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project has been carried out in the framework of SARTRE project (grant agreement n° 233683), funded by Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) of the European Commission. Project Partners: INSTITUT FÜR KRAFTFAHRZEUGE (ika), IDIADA, RICARDO, SP SWEDEN, TECNALIA-RBTK, VOLVO CARS, VOLVO TECHNOLOGY REFERENCES (1) SARTRE Project website www.sartre-project.eu (2) S. Shladover, "PATH at 20—History and Major Milestones," IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 8, pp. 584-592, 2007. (3) M. Schulze, "Promote-Chauffeur," Final Report, EU Telematics Applications, 1999. (4) KONVOI - Development and examination of the application of electronically coupled truck convoys on highways (http://www.ika.rwth-aachen.de/pdf_eb/gb6-24e_konvoi.pdf). (5) Task Group p. IEEE 802.11p: Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE), draft standard, IEEE Computer Soc. 2007. (6) ALIX 3D3 embedded PC - www.pcengines.ch/alix3d3.htm (7) PELOPS website – www.pelops.de/UK/index.html (8) Prometheus Project ("PROgraMme for a European Traffic of Highest Efficiency and Unprecedented Safety), 1987-1995. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUREKA_Prometheus_Project
ALIX embedded PCPower
CANCAN-
dongleUSB
Antennacable
Antenna
MiniPCIRadio
board(s)
Figure 7: Schematic of V2V-communication module
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SAFE ROAD TRAINS FOR ENVIRONMENT:
Human factors’ aspects in dual mode transport systems
Maider Larburu, Javier Sanchez and Domingo José Rodriguez
Engineer–Researchers, Automotive Unit, TECNALIA-RBTK Parque Tecnológico, edif. 202, CP: 48170, Zamudio (Spain)
TEL: + 34 946 00 22 66, FAX: + 34 946 00 22 99, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
ABSTRACT
After being widely applied in aviation, automation is increasingly applied to surface transportation. Furthermore, with the increased reliability and reduced cost of electronics and communications, it is becoming viable to develop a safe and reliable platooning system. These intelligent systems of the future will contribute to improved safety, efficiency, and journey time of vehicles while at the same time reducing stress for passengers. However, although new technologies make vehicle platooning possible, these new technologies will require interaction with drivers. Therefore, the development of appropriate Human - Machine Interfaces (HMI) progressively assumes greater importance, as diverse and innovative technologies are designed and implemented in vehicles. As a result of this interaction there is a need to research human aspects and the HMI. The main objective of this study consists of analyzing human aspects involved in vehicle platooning. Accordingly, this paper describes the human factors issues that come into play when introducing autonomous driving. A further study objective is to develop a high-quality HMI, and assess the effectiveness of the HMI, including the acceptability level from possible end-users point of view. This study is part of the European project “Safe Road Trains for the Environment, SARTRE”, that aims to define several platoon requirements attributable to the driver’s opinion, as well as to define the necessities to develop an appropriate HMI for a platooning environment. This takes into account information coming from objective parameters, logged during the simulation tests, and the driver preferences derived from acceptability assessment.
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INTRODUCTION
The SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for Environment) project aims to support a step change in transport utilization. The project vision is to design, develop and integrate solutions that allow vehicles to drive in platoons on public motorways. Vehicle platooning is one of the innovations in the automotive industry that aim to improve the safety, efficiency and journey time of vehicles while reducing stress for vehicle occupants, as well as decreasing pollution. After being widely applied in aviation, automation is increasingly applied in surface transportation. Since the idea of electronically coupled vehicles was introduced with the PROMETHEUS Project (Program for European Traffic with Highest Efficiency and Unprecedented Safety) in 1998 and the development of the Automated Highway System (AHS), research on this subject has progressed significantly. Furthermore, the AHS has been a large demonstration project to show that fully automated driving is feasible. Although completely automated driving is possible, existing applications aim to support the driver, or take over only part of the driver’s task. With new technologies it becomes viable to develop a safe and reliable platooning system with increased levels of automation. However, there are still significant challenges with platoons interacting with conventional traffic on public motorways.
Figure 1. Platooning illustration
In the SARTRE project the lead vehicle will be a commercial truck or bus. Following vehicles will enter a semi-autonomous control mode that allows the driver of the following vehicle to undertake other activities that would normally be prohibited for reasons of safety.
HUMAN FACTOR ISSUES
When talking about autonomous or semi-autonomous driving, there are several human factors concerns. Besides acceptance and comfort, a lot of topics have to be considered, such as:
• situational awareness, does the driver still know what goes on around him and what will the system do,
• loss of skill, if a driver becomes a passive monitor, will he still be able to keep up his driving skills,
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• behavioural adaptation and risk compensation, will a driver behave differently if he knows the system will respond,
• workload, which may be too high or too low, • transitions from normal driving to autonomous/automated driving and vice versa, • the response of the driver in case of a system breakdown and the usability and
interface aspects [1]. There are significant acceptability issues to overcome – even with the understood environmental, safety and convenience benefits –, in order to facilitate that the interaction of platoons with non-platoon road users will be a near term reality. To retain drivers trust, the system should be accurate and reliable with no system failures. These aspects directly affect driver’s acceptance level and are of crucial importance. Systems will only be accepted and used if driving with the system is safer or more comfortable than driving without a system. As well, it is very important that the driver understands what mode the system is in, and remains aware of the traffic surrounding him. How well a driver understands the current system mode is also dependent on the HMI that is used for providing information. To ensure information is understood when required it cannot just be provided visually; there is also a need to provide haptic or auditory information. Conversely, with the driver support systems on semi-autonomous/autonomous vehicles there is a risk of behavioural adaptation by the driver. This means that as a result of a reduction in driver workload (when the system is operational), a driver may, over time, start to exhibit new behaviour which may result in reduced safety. To verify the behavioural adaptation, it is necessary to consider both intentional and unintentional changes in driver behaviour. Moreover, a particular consideration, (not only related to technologies but also to human factors) is transitions from self-driving to autonomous driving and vice versa. Transitions can either be planned, i.e. a driver wants to leave the platoon, or unplanned, the system suddenly does not function or there is a system failure and the driver needs to take over. In either transition, the system should warn the driver that he or she needs to take over control. . It may be that it takes more time for the driver to get his hands on the wheel again and put his foot on the brake compared to manual driving. As consequence, the way that the HMI is developed and the interaction modes that are used to warn driver, must be deeply researched, i.e. an appropriate human machine interfaces is crucial when innovative technologies are designed and implemented in vehicles. It is crucial to ensure high level technical performance at sustainable costs and, at the same time, design the Human-System interaction so as to be the most usable, efficient, effective and satisfactory as possible for the end-user. In addition, from a human factors perspective, safety
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must always be of primary importance when designing on-board systems [2]. In the driver environment a specific problem that emerges is how to adapt the technologies to different drivers. Therefore, the driver is a really important factor during the development, because the success or failure of the system depends on the end-user acceptance. In order to design usable interfaces, it is essential to adopt a “User Centred Design” approach. It is important to alternate, in an iterative way, design activities and usability assessments during all the development’s stages of the product with the involvement of both experts and end-users. With the purpose of obtaining this crucial factor, warning messages have to be easy to understand, taking for granted that the content of the message is correct [3]. Although important developments within automotive industry in advanced warning systems have been achieved to alert the driver in dangerous situations by visual and auditory interfaces, alternative modalities, such as haptic signals, must be explored for a better response speed and signal effectiveness assessment. In this study different driver’s behaviour were evaluated to determine several platoon requirements related to the drivers perception, and first steps have been carried out, in order to define how the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) has to be designed while minimising negative impact on safety.
EQUIPMENT
The study was conducted in a fixed-base driving simulator. This platform was developed to provide solutions to SARTRE needs, in order to know the platoon requirements from a driver’s point of view, as well as to evaluate the design and development of the HMI. Next, the driving simulator hardware and software is presented. HARDWARE The driving simulator had a forward field of view of 120 degrees (three 42’ LCD screens), a vehicle mock-up based on a saloon vehicle dashboard with a LCD screen as the instrument cluster (speedometer, tachometer) and another one working as like an auxiliary screen where different graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were displayed, in order to evaluate the HMIs. In addition, it had two sound devices in order to provide simulated noise (engine and environmental) and acoustic warnings, and finally, the steering system which was based on a Logitech G25 game steering wheel system with force feedback and manual/automatic gear stick, customized to have a larger and more conventional steering wheel. Moreover, a haptic seat was built to allow for multimodal interaction. No rear or mirror views were used during this experiment (see Figure 2).
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Figure 2. Driving simulator platform
SOFTWARE The simulator software was based on SCANeR II under a multi PC architecture configuration (in this case, 3 PCs). Different modules of the simulator were executed on each PC, and connected via Ethernet communication in a local area network (LAN). This platform uses complex computer graphics with the purpose of providing a highly realistic driving environment. With regard to the application software, the design of the whole system has distributed control to display scenarios and to log the driver and vehicle parameters, such as speed or distance between both vehicles – Leader vehicle (LV) and Following vehicle (FV) – and Driver Reaction Time (DRT). The simulator software for lateral and longitudinal control in full autonomous driving mode was developed using fuzzy logic and runs under the Dynacar platform [4], registered by Tecnalia. Three programming environments were used to develop the software of the whole system, i.e. SCANeR II (OKTAL) v2.24 software to configure the scenario, LabVIEW v8.6 (National Instruments Corporation) to program the main control algorithms and the acquisition of the test participants (see “Procedure” for further information) and Altia Design software to develop the Graphical User Interface (GUI) together with Adobe Photoshop CS4.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
As stated above, the aim of the experiment was to determine subjective opinions of non-platoon users – henceforward other vehicles drivers (OVD) – while driving near different sizes platoons and, on the other hand, to define intra-platoon gap length thanks to logged data (objective information) and platoon users opinion (subjective information) – henceforward following vehicles drivers (FVD) – , as well as other data related to be part of a platoon, such as if platoon speed is adequate or if they prefer normal driving, etc. Furthermore, this experiment was seeking to identify the requirements to develop an appropriate HMI for a
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platooning environment. In order to achieve the study objectives, the next five steps were followed: create the virtual driving scenarios, design a basic Human-Machine Interface, develop the control algorithm software and finally, define and execute tests with several participants under a virtual environment. VIRTUAL DRIVING SCENARIO The virtual driving scenario developed for this experiment was divided into two parts:
• one truck (potential leader vehicle) and one car (potential following vehicle) - to define the intra-platoon gap size,
• had one car driven by test participants given different sizes of platoon – 5, 15 or 25 (depending on the sub-test to be executed - see “Procedure” for further information) vehicles behind the leading truck – designed to evaluate the OVD’s reactions.
Moreover, the virtual driving road was a 18 km length motorway light traffic with density randomly variable from 5 to 15 vehicles/km, driving at speeds between 80 and 120 km/h. EXPERIMENT The experiment was divided into two main parts, one to assess performance and another to obtain subjective ratings. The driving test included the evaluation of the intra-platoon gap acceptance, as well as the whole platoon length. The driving test was also divided into two main sessions: first one where participants drove as an OVD, i.e. they were not part of the platoon, and the second one where tests drivers were FVD, that is to say, they were part of the platoon. During the first main session, when drivers were not part of the platoon, they had to drive near one. In this case, the OVD’s behaviour was assessed while they overtake a variable length platoon and leave the highway in its first exit. This main session, was divided into three sub-tests:
• platoon size of one leading truck and five following cars, • with platoon length of one truck and fifteen passengers cars, • a platoon made up of one lead truck and twenty-five cars.
Throughout these tests drivers should not exceed the highway speed limit (120 kph).
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Figure 3. Test driver passing a platoon before exiting the next highway exit
Subsequently, during the second main session, participants drove as FVD, i.e. they became part of the platoon. In this case, intra-platoon gap acceptance was assessed. In order to test it, a potential leading vehicle driver (PLVD) was driving in the highway waiting for a potential following vehicle driver (PFVD) – test participants – to create the platoon. The test sequence was: first, test driver drove to the PLV (truck) until the correct position was reached, and at that moment, an advice of correct positioning was given by the HMI. Then, participant had to accept the creation, pushing a cam in the steering wheel, and vehicle became autonomous. At this point, participants released the vehicle controls, after notification by the HMI, and gap started to reduce. Intra-platoon distance was reduced until test driver felt uncomfortable, at which point they pushed a dedicated button. This gap was recorded. However, the gap was continuously reduced, until the driver felt in danger and pushed an emergency button. The second gap was recorded as well. Finally, when participant pushed the emergency button, the platoon was dissolved, passing control back to the test driver.
a) Emergency button: Platoon
dissolution by request
b) Visual HMI for platoon
instructions
c) Comfortability signalisation
button for test purposes
Figure 4. Use of interaction hardware in the platoon simulator during a small gap
maintain manoeuvre.
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The basic HMI developed was based on visual and auditory information to the driver, advising for each platoon manoeuvre what the driver had to do at every moment. Both signals were given in order to test drivers’ different reactions to each one. For the proposed scenarios, the interaction with the driver was related to the basic platoon transitions from manual driving to automatic driving and, at the end of the platoon manoeuvre, again to manual driving.
Figure 5. Visual HMI for platoon transition manoeuvres
PARTICIPANTS The sample consisted of thirty men and fourteen women (N=44). The population collaborating in this study had a mean age of 36.3 years. The yearly driving performance showed that three participants drive less than 5.000 km/year, eight drive between 5.000 and 10.000, thirteen between 10.000 and 15.000 and finally twenty had yearly driving performance of more than 15.000 km/year. In addition, two participants stated that they had experience with driving simulators and computer racing games, twenty-two with computer racing games but not with driving simulators, while the remaining did not have any experience with either driving simulators or racing games. PROCEDURE The participants were invited to take part in a simulator study without being given any detailed information about the system under investigation. As stated above, the experiment was divided into two main sessions: the first one, where participants have a non-platoon users role, and the second one where they were Following Vehicles Drivers within a platoon. In order to conclude the first main session, they had to drive near a platoon – with variable platoon sizes – three times. Once the whole session was over, participants completed the surveys. The order of the three sub-tests was randomized.
9
During the second main session, as stated previously, participants had to become a FVD. Participants also had to complete a survey at to complete the second session. Finally, general data like age, gender and simulator experience was collected prior to the experiment in a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS As stated above, this experiment is divided into two main parts, one to assess performance and another to obtain subjective ratings. In addition, it can be also divided taking into account the information source, i.e. from OVD or from FVD. After each test, participants had the opportunity to evaluate the experience of being within a platoon or of driving near one. The technique used is simple and consists of one-dimensional scale – ‘1-5 rating’ (Linkert Scale) and ‘Unable to rate’ – from which respondents choose one option that best aligns with their view. Regarding the objective obtained results to determine the intra-platoon gap, follow a normal distribution, (δ = 13,32), a 73,93% of all participants tend to average value, feeling uncomfortable under a distance less than 16,9 m, in average terms. If it is only considered men results, with δ = 13,53 a 73,01% tend to the average distance, it means that men started to feel uncomfortable under a distance less than 16,55 m. Furthermore, 75,75% of women started to feel uncomfortable under a distance less than 17,76 m, followed a normal distribution with δ = 12,85. Moreover, when emergency button results are considered, a 77,45% of all participants, follow a normal distribution (δ = 5), tend to average value feeling unsafe under a distance less than 7,5 m, in average terms. Related to men results, with δ = 3,64, a 77,45% started to feel unsafe under a distance less than 6,51 m (in average terms), and in women case, with δ = 6,54, a 77,45% started to feel unsafe under a distance less than 9,59 m. Next graphics show the obtained results, taking into account the gender or the age ranges:
Figure 6. Gap distance objective results
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On the other hand, if subjective results are considered, when participants asked if the intra-platoon gap of 10 m was adequate for them, 72, 73% accepted this assumption and 25% rejected it. In case of a 7,5 m distance, 54,55% accept it, and 40,91% not. When distance was 5 m, only 11,36% of participants accept it, and 77,27 reject it. And of 2,5 m (6,82% accept, 90,91% reject) and 1m (2,27% accept and 95, 45%) distances, in general, participants reject the assumption. Next graph shows the survey results related to gap distances.
Figure 7. Gap distance subjective results
Bearing in mind that all groups (men, women) follow a normal distribution, it can be stated that, in general (around a 75%), people feel uncomfortable when intra-platoon gap length is less than 16 m, and people feel unsafe under 7 m. Consequently, for first platoon drivers, the recommended intra-platoon distance would be 15 m. for the driver to feel comfortable, but since this gap size goes against the platoon benefit and safety concept, a specific training of the driver might be necessary to allow the driver trusting the system with smaller gaps in further platoon experiences. However, in the case that the uncomfortable feeling is considered of lower significance and in view of the subjective results, the gap could be much reduced as long as safety is not compromised. Concerning the obtained results from FVD opinion thanks to the questionnaire, it can be stated that, for instance, 90,91% of all participants think that 90 kph is a very comfortable speed for platoons, 95,45% consider that information to the driver is absolutely necessary and 86,36% that an acknowledgment from the driver before starting the manoeuvre is required, during every transition manoeuvres of the platoon, that is to say, transitions from normal driving to autonomous/automated driving and vice versa. All this kind of results are really significant because they facilitate and improve the development of a high-quality HMI. To conclude the results analysis, obtained responses from the OVD point of view are presented. The questions were:
• OV-Q#1: I feel driving near a platoon of 5/15/25 cars + 1 leading truck is the same as driving around other normal traffic situations.
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• OV-Q#2: I do not see any problems in exiting the highway while driving near a platoon of 5/15/25 cars + 1 leading truck.
• OV-Q#3: I wouldn't drive near a platoon of 5/15/25 cars + 1 leading truck. • OV-Q#4: I feel stress/unsafe when I drive near a platoon of 5/15/25 cars + 1 leading
truck. And the results, in general terms, shows that around 72,73% of the participants feel that driving near a platoon of five cars and one leading truck is the same as normal driving, they don’t see any problems to do different manoeuvres. In addition, this percentage of test drivers do not have problems and do not feel unsafe driving near the smaller platoon. When taking into account the obtained results related to medium length platoon, fifteen cars and one leading truck, the participants percentage that feel the same that in the case of small one, is reduced to 54,55%. Finally, the percentage for longer platoon was reduced to only 11,36% of acceptation. Consequently, it can be stated that medium length platoon, i.e. fifteen cars and one leading truck, it can be considered the maximum length. Following graphics show the obtained results:
Figure 8. OVD opinions results
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CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, different driver’s behaviour were evaluated, in order to determine some platoon requirements related to the drivers perception, such as comfortable intra-platoon gap or a safety platoon length. Furthermore, this approach has made possible to define how the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) has to be designed while minimising negative impact on safety. However, it should take into account that, although thanks to these human behaviour and HMI simulation work a lot of results have been obtained, this study is a preliminary research. To be precise, there are other human factors to bear in mind which could improve the obtained results, such as the people experience with platoons, the rise of system trust due to the maturity of developed systems, or even people background, i.e. if they are professional or particular drivers, etc. In addition, it has also to consider the results when tests will be made in real trucks and cars under real environment. Nevertheless, the study has been really useful and the results has been very promising.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project has been carried out in the framework of SARTRE project (grant agreement n° 233683), funded by Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) of the European Commission. Project Partners: INSTITUT FÜR KRAFTFAHRZEUGE, IDIADA, RICARDO, SP SWEDEN, TECNALIA-RBTK, VOLVO CARS, VOLVO TECHNOLOGY.
REFERENCES
[1] “Human Factors’ aspects in automated and semiautomatic transport systems”. Available at http://www.citymobil-project.eu [2] Burnett, G. E. (2000). “Usable vehicle navigation systems: Are we there yet?” Proceedings of Vehicle electronic systems 2000, 3.1.1-3.1.11. Surrey: ERA Technology Ltd. [3] Larburu M., Martín A., Rodriguez D.J., Urquiza A., October 2009. “Adaptive Human Vehicle Interface (HVI): Comparison of results between different kind of interaction under a virtual environment”, En D. de Waard, A. Axelsson, M. Berglund, B. Peters, and C. Weikert (Eds.) (2010). Human Factors: A system view of human, technology and organisation (pp. 1 - 10). Maastricht, the Netherlands: Shaker Publishing. ISBN 978-90-423-0395-9. [4] Dynacar website: http://www.dynacar.es
SARTRE: SAfe Road TRains for the EnvironmentSARTRE: SAfe Road TRains for the EnvironmentSARTRE: SAfe Road TRains for the EnvironmentSARTRE: SAfe Road TRains for the Environment
Arturo Dávila Mario Nombela
IDIADA Automotive Technology SA 1.1.1.1. IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction The SARTRE project aims at encouraging an evolutional change in the use of personal transportation means through the development of safe and environmental road trains (platoons). For the safe adoption of the road trains, systems will be developed and will allow the interaction of the platoon with non-platoon vehicles on un-modified public highways. The project addresses three cornerstones of transportation issues: environment, safety and congestion while also encouraging driver acceptance through increased “driver comfort”.
Platoon illustration
Source: VOLVO SARTRE is a three year project within the 7th Framework Programme in which 7 partners from throughout Europe participate actively. The project will not only address the integration and development of the necessary technology to implement road trains but will also consider the human factors behind the operation of the system in a regular basis. These factors include the driver of the lead vehicles, the drivers of the following vehicles and the drivers of other vehicles along the highway. The entire requirements of the systems with the added human factors impose a necessity to carry out extensive testing of the systems individually and on a fully integrated demonstrative run. These demonstration tests require simulating as much as possible real life conditions but in a controlled environment to provide the necessary safety conditions for drivers and other users. This paper discusses the approach taken by the SARTRE consortium regarding the system testing and demonstration.
2.2.2.2. The The The The SARTRE SARTRE SARTRE SARTRE projectprojectprojectproject For several years, work has been done on platoon development with a variety of possible scenarios, in which most of the solutions require a significant amount of modification to the roadside infrastructure or even dedicated lanes. Nowadays, with the increased reliability and the reduced cost of electronic equipment and communication systems, it is viable to develop a safe and reliable platoon system. Nevertheless, and due to the nature of the system, there are still significant challenges with platoons interacting amid conventional traffic on public motorways. Also, acceptability is still an issue that has not been solved, meaning that the adoption of platoons on public motorways is not likely to be a short term reality. The SARTRE project and its demonstration tasks, through the full understanding of the related issues of platoons on public roads and developing new solutions that help address acceptability issues, aim at showing to the public the environmental, safety and convenience benefits obtained from the use of this system. In this way, the project encourages the modal shift towards vehicle platoons on motorways. 3.3.3.3. Platooning BenefitsPlatooning BenefitsPlatooning BenefitsPlatooning Benefits Environmental Benefits The environmental benefit potential of platooning has been carefully investigated in previous work, for instance in the "Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) Program" in the US during the 1990s. In "The Aerodynamic Performance of Platoons - A Final Report" from the PATH Program an average benefit of about 20 % has been estimated for highway (= high speed) driving. This benefit varies with the number of vehicles, the vehicle spacing and the aerodynamic geometry of vehicles.
All geometries average decrease in fuel consumption for platooning vehicles
Source: PATH Project
Generally, a smaller spacing between vehicles gives greater benefit in terms of energy consumption. However, smaller spacing is also more challenging for the control system, so a balance needs to be established. Initially, we should be aiming at a spacing of about 1 meter, which would correspond to about 0.2 vehicle lengths in the diagram above. The speed at which the road train is running is also important for the environmental benefit.
Fuel consumption due to drag and to rolling resistance as a percentage of
total fuel consumption Source: PATH Project
The benefit is also dependent on the aerodynamic geometry of the vehicles that form the platoon. For instance, a small vehicle following a large vehicle will get a greater benefit. Also the opposite situation will occur, and there is reason to believe that the average benefit estimated in the PATH study will be true also for SARTRE. There is one important exception: The SARTRE proposal assumes that the lead vehicle of the road train will be a commercial vehicle. Trucks are taller and wider than cars, and this will likely increase the benefit for the following vehicles that are close to the leader. Safety Benefits A road train will perform quite different to normal highway traffic regarding the risk for accidents and injuries. There is a clear challenge in making the road train interaction with drivers and surrounding traffic and its ability to handle exceptional situations safely. There are obvious opportunities with autonomous vehicles following a professional driver. The road train users will benefit safety-wise from having a trained, supervised, professional driver in the lead. A Department for Transport report (see bibliography) states that 95% of road accidents involve human factor contribution. The platoon incorporates a significant level of driving automation whereby for extended periods “drivers” of following vehicles concede their control to the lead vehicle and local autonomous systems. Thus road train users should benefit safety-wise from having a trained professional driver in the lead vehicle with autonomous control systems while within the platoon.
Traffic Flow Benefits For the expected traffic flow benefits of platooning it is necessary to discriminate between different traffic conditions and the applicable road train scenarios to each of them. There are 4 principal traffic conditions that can be met: free traffic, collapsing traffic, synchronic inhomogeneous traffic and stop&go traffic. Obviously, the best traffic condition is free traffic, from which, according to the increase in volume and variability of gaps between vehicles and speeds, the other three conditions can be met. SARTRE platooning may not bring improvements for free traffic yet it will indeed aid in the delay of collapsing traffic, maintaining a constant speed and gap between vehicles on a scenario where high speeds and open spaces are a constant. By the time that collapsing traffic scenario is reached, the road train will provide the most benefits, as the point of the collapse is dependent on the required traffic space of each vehicle and the time gap. The smaller the time gap the more the collapse point is shifted towards higher traffic flows. With platoons, this time gap is reduced to a minimum and by doing so the road capacity can be enhanced and traffic congestions avoided or at least delayed. A latter condition is the synchronic inhomogeneous traffic, characterised by density waves, where vehicles drive in between 30 and 80 km/h in 100 m distance. In this case, a significant improvement can be expected as the autonomous guidance helps reduce the dynamics. In the case of a further increase of the traffic flow a complete breakdown occurs, and stop&go traffic condition appears. The beneficial effect in this condition is achieved when the platoon leaves the traffic jam, as the acceleration is sufficient enough and controlled, maintaining the space between vehicles thus leading to a faster dissolving of the congestion. 4.4.4.4. Project ActivitiesProject ActivitiesProject ActivitiesProject Activities The project objectives can therefore be summarised with the following points:
• Define a set of acceptable platooning strategies that will allow road trains to operate on public motorways without changes to the road and roadside infrastructure.
• Enhance, develop and integrate technologies for a prototype platooning system such that a number of the defined strategies can be assessed under real world scenarios.
• Show how platoons can lead to environmental, safety and congestion improvements.
• Illustrate how a new business model can be used to encourage the use of platoons with benefits to both lead vehicle operators and to platoon subscribers.
Following the project objectives, a comprehensive cluster of tests are defined. In order to provide the correct validation for the developed system, both simulation and physical testing will be carried out. Initially, a simulation on the fuel consumption will be made for subsequently evaluating the entire system on the test track. Afterwards, each partner in charge of developing the subsystems for the project will have the task of testing and evaluating the functionality at its own facilities, so that later, all the systems brought together can be tested at IDIADA’s facilities and if possible on the public road. Overall, the testing will include the most important aspects of the platoon system and the fuel consumption benefits. For the assessment of the fuel consumption improvements, a specific task was created and is focused in the possible benefit obtained from the system in terms of emissions and fuel consumption. One of the objectives of the SARTRE system is to reduce the fuel expenditure of the vehicles while platooning, as a more continuous and soft driving situation is present. Also, the aerodynamics of the entire road train provides extra savings in fuel consumption. As a first activity, a simulation on the forecasted benefit will be carried out. In order to obtain the relevant data, a software simulation will obtain several aerodynamic coefficients that a whole platoon will have on a highway at the designated speed, to then translate it to single vehicle aerodynamic coefficient. The best advantage of having this simulation, is that a great variety of gap sizes can be tested, resulting in a comparable set of data of which is the best gap to be established so that it provides better fuel efficiency but at the same time maintains a high safety level. This task comprises one part simple physical testing and one part simulation. First of all, a coast down test of the assigned vehicles has to be done. The coast down test will provide the data related to engine torque and fuel consumption from the real life. Later on, a CAD model of the vehicles is uploaded to a Computational Fluid Dynamics Software (CFD), where the vehicles can be tested individually in order to obtain the drag coefficient (Cd) and the lift coefficient (Cl). Subsequently, a set of two cars (one following the other) will be tested. In this part of the test and using different distances between vehicles, new pairs of drag and lift coefficients will be gathered. Afterwards, a one-dimensional simulation model of the vehicle to be tested can be generated, using the coast down results to know the work done by the engine and the related fuel consumption. Next, a one-dimensional model of the car using only physical parameters is to be evaluated. Once the data from the physical and coast down simulations are correlated, the drag and lift coefficients (Cd, Cl) must vary according to the previous figures calculated on the CFD. From here, new engine work data will result. Analysing the applied torque and the rpm rate on the engine’s fuel consumption map, for each value of Cd and Cl we would have the fuel consumption comparative.
When the simulated tests have been carried out, it will be important to select the best configuration possible to be tested on the tracks. This configuration should have a good compromise between fuel consumption and safety, so that the most reasonable formation or set of formations and gaps are evaluated. This will be a very important input not only for the physical testing, but also for the conceptual work of the project. To evaluate the fuel reduction, two methods will be used: tests in track and power benches. Testing in proving grounds provides a realistic value but it is not very robust as boundary conditions are difficult to be controlled. This absence of robustness will be made up by bench testing. The pattern obtained in the tests in proving ground will be implemented in the test benches of power train. Then, the results obtained will be correlated and solid values of the fuel consumption will be generated. These values will then be compared to simulation results to verify that they are correspondent and that the selected spacing was the most favourable. Continuing with the project, full system testing will be done at the test tracks. Although physical testing is not as repeatable as laboratory testing, it is quite necessary to ensure the correct functionalities and operation of the integrated system. The first tests of the different systems working together will take place at this stage of the project. IDIADA will provide its proving grounds and test equipment for implementing these trials with the lead vehicle (1 truck) and following vehicles (3 cars). Eventually, as the trials go on, an additional following vehicle (1 truck) will be added. The first group of tests will be performed in dynamic platforms, which are flat open areas where there is no risk of having an accident as they are closed environments, with strict control and with ample enough run-out zones. These platforms have 6 degrees of freedom; will be aided by differential GPS units (accuracy ±20 mm) and to simulate surrounding traffic, rabbit vehicles will be used. These characteristics ensure that the tests are run in a safe and controlled environment.
One of IDIADA’s Dynamic Platforms
Source: IDIADA
Following the first group of tests in the dynamic platforms where the entire systems are validated altogether, come the system trials in the high speed track. This high speed track is designed to have several entry/exit areas from the same side as on a regular road. It has a total length of 7560 m, two straights of 2000 m and two bends of 1780 m. It accounts for a total of four lanes, for which the first two lanes will be used in the project. These two lanes were selected because of the velocities and manoeuvres that can be performed.
IDIADA Automotive Technology
Source: IDIADA During this phase, the system will be tested not only on the functional systems, but also on the operational aspects of the project. The idea of having a test track like these is to be able to control the surrounding traffic, the velocity, ensure high safety standards and count on the support of the personnel and project members. Moreover, the ability to perform highway incorporation and exit brings to the trials a realistic approach for the desired functioning of the system. The tests will be carried out using the Driver-in-the-Loop concept, having different drivers with a different distribution of age, sex, size and driving skills. Nevertheless, these trials are carried out under controlled environment, with rabbit vehicles and other involved personnel that know and understand the platooning concept and are aware of any emergencies and hazards that could arise during the test runs. For this reason, evaluating the system in real traffic is considered necessary. Operating in real traffic is one of the challenges of the platooning system and that is one of the reasons why the system should be tested there. Most of the tests will be executed in proving grounds, which allow extreme driving conditions with safety, but lack of reality at certain points. IDIADA has cooperated with road administrations and highways operators for other research projects. In some cases, tests have been executed in pure real traffic
conditions. In others, when safety has not been fully guaranteed, the roads have been closed for a short period of time and used for the test; always trying to identify a low traffic density zones and off-peak hours. IDIADA has already proposed a section of a local highway to carry out the tests on real highway. This section of the highway includes many of the most important features that a SARTRE platoon needs to deal with, assuring that real life test conditions prevail. The proposed section is from the C-32 highway, from Calafell to Vilanova I entrance, which covers approximately 12 km.
TOLLCalafell
Vilanova I
Cubelles-Cunit
Segur de CalafellTunnels
Selected test route Source: Google Maps
This segment was selected due to:
• Its proximity to IDIADA proving grounds.
• Lower traffic density than other C-32 sections.
• Toll booth with low traffic on Cubelles-Cunit exit, both ways, manually controlled barriers.
• Entrance to Calafell is generally low traffic as it only crosses a secondary road from Bellvei to Calafell (TV-2126). North entry and exit.
• Exit Vilanova I is generally low traffic as it only crosses a secondary road from Vilanova to L’Arboç (BV-2115). South entry and exit.
• The path is predictable and enclosed.
• Includes tunnels.
• There are various entry and exit points for vehicles.
• There is enough space for platoon manoeuvres. The proposed testing sequence is as follows:
1. Entrance by Calafell. 2. Road train created. 3. At Segur de Calafell, new vehicle joins (only entrance direction
Vilanova). 4. At Cubelles-Cunit, one vehicle leaves platoon. 5. Toll booth crossing. 6. Exit at Vilanova for direction change.
7. New highway entrance, the platoon is created again. 8. At Cubelles-Cunit, one join and/or leave platoon manoeuvre is made. 9. Toll booth crossing. 10. At Segur de Calafell, one vehicle leaves platoon (only exit direction
Calafell). 11. At Calafell, road train exits and changes direction.
This sequence can be repeated as many times as required and can accept modifications in the use cases to be tested. This scenario will also add the input from other vehicle users while facing a platoon on the road for the first time. This input could be very important for the conceptual work as it could help in modifying the length of the platoon and other users’ perceptions. If highway trials are not achieved, IDIADA will propose to use a common proving ground called “General Road”. This proving ground is based on the access road to all the proving grounds at IDIADA, with a 5.3 km length and a 300x20 m braking area. It is formed by different types of roads, some of them simulating main roads with two ways and others representing highways. It also has different bends and slopes and speed limits vary depending on the zone. Usually, this track is used for general assessment of the vehicle. The General Road could then be used as a representative track for real traffic conditions. When needed, real traffic could be emulated adding human driven random cars interacting with the platoon.
IDIADA’s General Road
Source: IDIADA 5.5.5.5. Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion The importance of carrying out simulation, proving ground testing and real traffic conditions evaluation is that the entire system is validated from the most basic elements and concepts to the complete system operation within controlled and uncontrolled environments. Having the certainty that the elements that conform the system are working properly in a stage by stage evaluation ensure that the outcome of the entire trials is valid, carried out with the best safety standards and complying with all the requirements set by the project developers.
The results obtained from this validation phase of the project will be the three demonstrators for the cornerstones tackled by the project: improving fuel economy and the environmental impact at the same time, adding an extra level of safety for future mobility systems and an improved traffic flow throughout the highway networks. This project will generate new technological advancements and will be a solid base for oncoming research projects that will bring closer the platooning concept to real life. 6.6.6.6. AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgmentsAcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments This project has been carried out in the framework of SARTRE Project (grant agreement n° 233683), funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) of the European Commission. Project Partners: IDIADA Automotive Technology, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge (IKA), RICARDO, SP Sweden, Tecnalia-RBTK, Volvo Cars and Volvo Technology 7.7.7.7. BibliographyBibliographyBibliographyBibliography Bergenhem, C., Huang, Q., Benmimoun, A., Robinson, T. (2010) “Challenges of Platooning on Public Motorways”, proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress, Busan 2010 Brown, I. (2005) Review of the “Looked but Failed to See” Accident Causation Factor, Road Safety Research Report No. 60, Department for Transport, London INVENT Project website http://www.invent-online.de Larburu, M., Sánchez, J., Rodríguez, D.J. (2010) “SAFE ROAD TRAINS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Human factor’s aspects in dual mode transport systems”, proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress, Busan 2010. Robinson, T., Chan, E., Coelingh, E. (2010) “Operating Platoons On Public Motorways: An Introduction To The SARTRE Platooning Programme”, proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress, Busan 2010 SARTRE Project website www.sartre-project.net Shladover, S. (2007) “PATH at 20 – History and Major Milestones”, IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 8, pp. 584-592.
Filename: SARTRE_4_003_PU_FINAL_revised 1 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
Project: 233683 SARTRE Title: Report on Fuel Consumption Deliverable No: 4.3 Doc Id: SARTRE_4_003_PU Author: Arturo Davila Organisation: Applus+ IDIADA Date: 15/01/2013 Revision: 13.0 FINAL Dissemination: PUBLIC
Filename: SARTRE_4_003_PU_FINAL_revised Revision: 0.0 DRAFT Doc Id: SARTRE_W_XXX_CCPU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 2 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3 Dissemination Level: Public
Revision History Revision Date Author Description 1 21/08/2012 Arturo Dávila First draft of Fuel Consumption tests
without VTEC data 2 27/08/2012 Arturo Dávila Initial inclusion of VTEC data, Creation of
Annexes for FC charts 3 28/08/2012 Arturo Dávila New scheme for the paper. 4 29/10/2012 Arturo Dávila Combination of D4.3 and D4.4, creation
of PP and PU documents. 5 31/10/2012 Arturo Dávila Adding conclusions 6 2/11/2012 Linda Wahlström Added text to section Vehicle
Instrumentation 7 9/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Modification of information, delete of car
only charts (maintained on CO version) 8 14/11/2012 Joshua Gidney Checking and formatting 9 15/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Change of CFD charts 10 11/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Modification according to agreement of
teleconference. 11 13/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Changed baseline charts. 12 21/12/2012 Joshua Gidney Revision and summary. 13 15/01/2013 Arturo Dávila Final revision. Final version.
Filename: SARTRE_4_003_PU_FINAL_revised Revision: 0.0 DRAFT Doc Id: SARTRE_W_XXX_CCPU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 3 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3 Dissemination Level: Public
Executive Summary
Work package 4 has been defined as the validation phase of the project. This work task will perform the end to end system evaluation. The present document contains the results obtained from the work done in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aerodynamic simulation and the fuel consumption tests at the track. All of these involved the fully functional platoon. Computational Fluid Dynamics, or CFD, provides virtual aerodynamics simulations through the application of mathematical equations that represent a flow. The main advantage of CFD for simulating trains of vehicles is the feasibility of adding vehicles with no limitation on the overall size of the convoy, although this did turn out to be quite a unique challenge. By means of scripting, a pre-processing methodology may be applied in order to automatically prepare different combinations of train vehicles so that the calculus could run through all the selected gaps automatically. Among the major challenges of such CFD simulations are the robustness of the code and the capability to automatize big sets of calculations. The generation of a script is imperative in order to optimize a CFD methodology that can easily configure and simulate many combinations of vehicles in road trains OpenFoam is an open source CFD code that can be easily edited and modified. It is based on a hierarchy of folders and subfolders in which different dictionaries and libraries are strategically located. Every library and dictionary is a text file that defines all computational and physical parameters. Many road train combinations are possible as both; separation distances and combinations of vehicles can be altered. All of the variables could be included in one complete algorithm that automatically simulates ALL combinations of vehicles and distances. Due to OpenFoam’s open source nature, scripts that combine many OpenFoam tools can be easily generated. Once all variables have been introduced by the user via an input file or via the interactive mode, the script then generates all dictionaries and libraries that are needed to launch and OpenFoam case and organizes them in their specific directories. Then, once the geometry has been generated and saved in its specific folders. The next stage of pre-processing is mesh generation by definition, improving the resolution of a mesh improves the accuracy of a calculation, since equations are computed at more points which define the solution. However, the higher the resolution, the higher the computational cost. An efficient resolution is that which gives a good accuracy without compromising the computational cost. Different resolutions have been tested for the mesh study and the need of having a VERY FINE mesh was obvious, since one cannot ensure that coarser meshes will give similar results. Then after a lot of testing the mesh designs were completed and working at a high enough standard. Once mesh resolution has been chosen and the final simulations of the train vehicles have been run it is time to review the results. The following gaps between vehicles have been tested; 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 15 meters, the second truck geometry keeps on having unstable results, probably due to the nature of the large wake in front and to its large size compared to the rest of cars behind it. Apart from the leading truck, as a general rule, the further away from the large wake of the trucks, the more stable the numerical solution is. In a general case a gap of 3 or 4 meters is not the best solution since there is too much instability. A distance of 6 or 8 meters seems the most optimized solution in terms of drag.
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Project: 233683 SARTRE 4 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3 Dissemination Level: Public
CFD simulations have demonstrated that road trains reduce drag of each component, even the leading car. The following truck may have drag benefits of around 40% and 50%, and for the rest of following cars Cx reductions rise up to 60%-75%. The gap distance of the vehicles do have an effect in drag reduction; however, slight gap differences do not involve large changes. All CFD simulations described involve the supposition that all vehicles are perfectly aligned in the x-direction. Correlation proved that this is not true for real-life tests; the following vehicle was displaced in the y-direction for values of 0.2, 0.6, and 1 meter. Simulations have been run and the leading vehicle showed very little effect on lateral offset. The second truck was almost unaffected by the 0.2 meter offset, and instabilities even reduced drag slightly (4%). The 0.6-meter offset generated an increase of Cx of almost 10%, while the 1-meter offset increased drag by almost 23%. CFD results showed that if a road train has lateral offset errors up to 0.2 meters, the drag is almost unaffected The tests performed at the IDIADA High Speed Track consisted of stable speed platooning at 85 km/h Different gaps were used during the tests, ranging from 5 to 15 meters between vehicles. A series of reference tests were also carried out along with the platooning tests to have a value to compare with. All the data was collected directly from the vehicles. In order to obtain the valuable data for the project, the platooning tests were carried out following procedure and latterly compared. It was necessary to measure the fuel consumption individually for each vehicle in order to compare it with the fuel consumption while platooning. During the test trial weeks, special procedures were adopted to prepare the vehicles, carry out the tests and in the end obtain the required data for analysis. The distances tested for the full platoon system were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15 meters a 2 truck platoon was also tested at 20 and 25 meters gap. Measurements of the fuel consumption are not available for cars at gap sizes of 7 m and below. The reason for this is that an analysis of the results showed that an internal safety function in the cars triggered a pre-charging of the brakes while driving at such close distances this pre-changing affected the fuel consumption and hence the measurements are excluded from the graphs. The results show that there is an important decrease in fuel consumption when platooning at shorter distances. This behaviour follows a similar trend to what has been previously researched and also similar to that of the simulation results In conclusion this report set out to validate the developed end to end system and comment on the fuel consumption of the vehicles in the system. It did this by carrying out aerodynamic simulations of the entire platoon to create an estimated fuel consumption. This was done using an Openfoam CFD simulation and the results were quite promising. The gap in between the vehicles was altered and the behaviour of the air between the cars was interesting to analyse as it showed that the optimum distance was 6m – 8m and not 3m or 4m. Track tests were then made to analyse the actual fuel consumption. At a gap of 8m all of the vehicles achieve fuel savings from 7 to 15%. All of the results from this work package show that platooning provides significant potential improvements for the efficient use of fuel.
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Project: 233683 SARTRE 5 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3 Dissemination Level: Public
Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 7 2 SARTRE AERODYNAMIC SIMULATION METHODOLOGY .............................. 9
2.1 Concept of CFD simulations .................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Advantages of CFD Simulations ......................................................... 9 2.1.2 Challenges ......................................................................................... 9 2.1.3 OpenFoam Overview .......................................................................... 9 2.1.4 OpenFoam Simulations .................................................................... 10 2.1.5 OpenFoam Test Cases..................................................................... 10 2.1.6 Script Design .................................................................................... 12 2.1.7 Script Testing ................................................................................... 14
2.2 CFD Simulations of Road Trains ........................................................... 15 2.2.1 Mesh Study ...................................................................................... 15 2.2.2 Final calculations .............................................................................. 18 2.2.3 Renders of the simulation ................................................................. 25 2.2.4 CFD Conclusions .............................................................................. 26
2.3 CFD Simulations of Lateral Offset ......................................................... 27 2.3.1 Lateral Offset .................................................................................... 27 2.3.2 Results ............................................................................................. 27 2.3.3 Conclusions ...................................................................................... 28
3 TEST TRIALS .................................................................................................. 29 3.1 Road Train Configuration ...................................................................... 29 3.2 Vehicle Instrumentation ......................................................................... 30
3.2.1 Vehicle instrumentation in the trucks ................................................ 31 3.3 Track specification ................................................................................ 31 3.4 Test procedures .................................................................................... 32
3.4.1 Pre-test procedures .......................................................................... 32 3.4.2 External conditions ........................................................................... 33 3.4.3 Track conditions ............................................................................... 33 3.4.4 Testing procedures ........................................................................... 33
3.4.4.1 Reference test procedure ............................................................. 33 3.4.4.2 Platooning test procedure ............................................................ 34
4 TESTS PERFORMED ...................................................................................... 36 4.1 Test results ........................................................................................... 36
4.1.1 Full platoon fuel consumption ........................................................... 36 4.1.2 Truck fuel consumption..................................................................... 38
5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 39
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List of Figures Figure 1: An example of an OpenFoam code. ............................................... 10 Figure 2: An example of a coarse mesh used to simulate a small platoon .... 11 Figure 3: Yet unconverged example of a platoon with a coarse mesh ........... 11 Figure 4: An example of the vehicle geometries for STL and NAS formats ... 14 Figure 5: Development of a tool for detecting surfaces .................................. 15 Figure 6: Example of a FINE mesh resolution. .............................................. 15 Figure 7: Detail of mesh refinement ............................................................... 16 Figure 8: Mesh study for the XC60 ................................................................ 17 Figure 9: Mesh study for the V60 ................................................................... 17 Figure 10: Mesh study for the S60 ................................................................. 17 Figure 11: Example of velocity results for an 8-meter gap ............................. 18 Figure 12: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 3m ............................... 18 Figure 13: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 4m. .............................. 19
Figure 14: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 6m. .............................. 19 Figure 15: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 8m. .............................. 20 Figure 16: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 10m. ............................ 20 Figure 17: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 15m. ............................ 21 Figure 18: How the gap size affects the Cx of the LV .................................... 22 Figure 19: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV1 .................................. 22 Figure 20: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV2 .................................. 22 Figure 21: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV3 .................................. 23 Figure 22: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV4 .................................. 23 Figure 23: Cx comparisons for all 5 vehicles at different gap size’s ............... 24 Figure 24: Delta Cx for all 5 vehicles at different gap size’s ........................... 24 Figure 25: The percentage Cx reduction for each vehicle at each gap size. .. 25 Figure 26: Aero dynamic representation of the vehicles at 3, 6 & 15m gaps . 25
Figure 27: An image showing the frontal pressure on each platoon vehicle .. 26 Figure 28: Y-direction displacements of FV1 with a 6m gap .......................... 27 Figure 29: Cx reduction for varying y-direction offsets of FV1 with a 6m gap 27 Figure 30: An image of the platoon vehicles .................................................. 29 Figure 31: Installation of the EuroFOT logger in one truck, shown with and without lid. ...................................................................................................... 31 Figure 32: Track layout .................................................................................. 32 Figure 33: Graph of percentage of fuel saved for each vehicle relative to gap size ................................................................................................................ 37 Figure 34: Graph of percentage of fuel saved for each vehicle for gap sizes between 8 and 15 metres .............................................................................. 37
Figure 35: Graph of the percentage of fuel saved for the two trucks relative to gap size between 5 and 25 metres ................................................................ 38
List of Tables Table 1: Vehicle characteristics ..................................................................... 30 Table 2: Table of vehicle signals logged and reasons why ............................ 30 Table 3: Track information ............................................................................. 32
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Project: 233683 SARTRE 7 of 39 <Enter Issue Date>3 Dissemination Level: Public
1 INTRODUCTION Work package 4 has been defined as the validation phase of the project, where all the systems developed during work package 3 will be assessed and validated according to the function they were designed to perform individually and on an integrated level. Additionally, the last activity of the work package will be to evaluate the fuel consumption of an operating platoon at different gaps in order to analyse whether the initial assumptions were correct. The platoon will be comprised of two trucks and three cars. This work package is divided into 4 tasks. The first 2 tasks refer to the evaluation at a subsystem level, having two major groups: the on-vehicle systems to be analysed during WT4.1 and the remote systems that will be evaluated during WT4.2. The work task 4.3 will perform the end to end system evaluation, meaning that all the subsystems will be assessed working in an integrated manner to achieve the proper platoon function. Work task 4.4 is the evaluation of the fuel consumption, comprised of an aerodynamic simulation and track testing. The present document contains the results obtained from the work done in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aerodynamic simulation and the fuel consumption tests at the track. All of these are framed within the work task 4.4 and involved the fully functional platoon. The same order of the vehicles was kept between the CFD simulation and the tests at the track. The CFD simulation was a unique challenge. A special script was designed, so that the calculus could run through all the selected gaps automatically. Also, the flow of air had to be maintained for much longer distance and the wind tunnel had to be longer than usual CFD wind tunnels, considering that at maximum gap up to 100 metres had to be simulated. The gaps tested were 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 15 meters, all of them considering steady environmental conditions and 90 km/h. Also, this document includes the results of the fuel consumption tests that were carried out during the SARTRE project at Applus+ IDIADA’s facilities in L’Albornar, Spain. The objectives are:
To describe the configuration of the road train To describe the methodology that was followed To show the results obtained during the trials To offer conclusions on the results
The tests were performed at the IDIADA High Speed Track (HST) during May 2012, and consisted of stable speed platooning at 85 km/h (the recommended maximum speed for the trucks) in the two straight sections of the HST, both, uphill and downhill or, respectively, South Straight and North Straight. Different gaps were used during the tests, ranging from 5 to 15 meters between vehicles. A series of reference tests were carried out along with the platooning tests to have a value to compare with. The reference trials were made in between platooning runs to ensure that the environmental conditions were as close as possible to validate the data. Also, the reference tests were made with extra-large gaps (200+ m) to avoid any platooning aerodynamic effects, yet following the exact same trajectory.
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All the data was collected directly from the vehicles. Special inputs such as triggers and high beam flashes were used in the defined way points to match the beginning and end of the segment for each vehicle. This made the information directly comparable for all the vehicles.
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2 SARTRE AERODYNAMIC SIMULATION METHODOLOGY
2.1 Concept of CFD simulations Computational Fluid Dynamics, or CFD, provides virtual aerodynamics simulations through the application of mathematical equations that represent a flow. The 3D solution of the flow is easily observed and therefore the insight of an aerodynamic solution may be carefully studied as to understand the behaviour of a certain flow.
2.1.1 Advantages of CFD Simulations Part of the overall aerodynamic correlation involves carrying CFD simulations. The main advantage of CFD for simulating trains of vehicles is the feasibility of adding up vehicles with no limitation in the overall size of the convoy, as compared to the strict limitations in dimensions that are present in experimental (e.g. wind tunnel) testing. Thus, different vehicles can be easily combined generating as many simulations as needed with a minimum effort from the user. By means of scripting, a pre-processing methodology may be applied in order to automatically prepare different combinations of train vehicles.
2.1.2 Challenges Among the major challenges of such CFD simulations are the robustness of the code and the capability to automatize big sets of calculations. Robustness is necessary in order to ensure that once the computational algorithm is working, no time will be lost debugging or solving problems of the code. Secondly, such a project involves launching large amounts of calculations. If done manually, the user would have to repeat common operations of meshing, defining initial conditions and launching calculations one at a time, thus losing a lot of time. By automatizing the calculation algorithms, large numbers of simulations may be launched and the process will become time-efficient.
2.1.3 OpenFoam Overview Since there are many combinations of road vehicles, a lot of CPU hours will be needed. It is thus important to reduce license prices to have reasonable simulation costs. Many road train combinations are possible:
- Separation distances - Many combinations of vehicles
All variables could be included in one complete algorithm that automatically simulates ALL combinations of vehicles and distances. Due to OpenFoam’s open source nature, scripts that combine many OpenFoam tools can be easily generated.
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2.1.4 OpenFoam Simulations OpenFoam is an open source CFD code that can be easily edited and modified. It is based on a hierarchy of folders and subfolders in which different dictionaries and libraries are strategically located an example is shown below in Figure 1: An example of an OpenFoam code.Figure 1.
Figure 1: An example of an OpenFoam code.
Pre-processing is also possible with an OpenFoam solver, and this mesh process can be automatized by means of scripts as well as the actual CFD calculation process. Every library and dictionary is a text file that defines all computational and physical parameters, as well as information about the geometry of the case study.
2.1.5 OpenFoam Test Cases OpenFoam has been used for carrying out CFD simulations of trains of vehicles. Initially, example geometries have been tested to configure the OpenFoam cases correctly. Dictionaries and libraries have been written manually in some example cases to analyse optimum mesh sizes and solver parameters. With the help of OpenFoam tutorial files, full case directories have been generated. The first series of test simulations have been launched to understand and optimize an automatic meshing algorithm. Thus, mesh size, growth, and refinement parameters have been the variables of example cases with two reference vehicle geometries of an SUV and a car. Some results of these initial simulations are presented in the figures below. Initially, simulations crashed due to problematic meshes. Different mesh parameters were modified in OpenFoam dictionaries until robust and good quality meshes were found. This process has included thin prim meshes near walls, the study of which areas should be refined, and finally recommended sizes for the big volume of air that represents a wind tunnel; this can be seen in Error! Reference source not found. and Figure 3.
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Figure 2: An example of a coarse mesh used to simulate a small platoon
Figure 3: Yet unconverged example of a platoon with a coarse mesh A total of 15 example cases have been launched to test convergence and robustness of OpenFoam simulations. Meshing has been the most sensitive issue. Base sizes of 2m, 1m, and 0.5m have been tested. Three different mesh refinements (6x, 7x, 8x) in the surface of the cars have been tested. Furthermore, the addition of 4, 5, and 10 thin layers of prisms normal to the surface of the example geometries has been tested. Finally, refinement volumes have been fitted in zones where further resolution is desired, that is immediately behind the cars in order to capture the turbulence of the wake.
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2.1.6 Script Design The generation of a script is imperative in order to optimize a CFD methodology that can easily configure and simulate many combinations of vehicles in road trains. After some versions, an input file of the script includes the following information: caso = "example1" Name of the case folder that the script will create aero = 0 Choose between an automotive case with/out a moving ground n_autos = '3' Number of vehicles in the road train distancia = 1.0 Distance between vehicles in meters stl = ‘car1.stl car2.stl’ Name of the geometry files of every vehicle tamano = ‘big’ Size of the wind tunnel. Users can choose between 3 sizes espaciado = 1.0 Base size of the mesh of the wind tunnel ref_min = 3 Minimum mesh refinement level on the surface of the vehicles ref_max = 5 Maximum mesh refinement level on the surface of the vehicles nlayers = 4 Number of mesh prism layers on the surface of the vehicles nprocs = 4 Number of processors that will calculate in parallel U = 60.000 Speed of the road train in m/s p = 0.000 Pressure inside the wind tunnel in Pa tipo_turbulencia CFD solver. The user can choose between RAS and LES. modelo_turbulento Turbulence model. Users can choose k-w or Spalart Almaras. k = 0.10 Turbulent kinetic energy (only for k-e and k-o models) epsilon/omega = 10 Turbulent variable (only for k-e and k-o models) dt = 1.000 Time step write_dt = 100.0 Writing frequency endTime = 1000.0 Total number of time steps The information above includes all variables that the user is allowed to define. The rest of the variables of the problem are defined with default values in the libraries and dictionaries that this script generates. Thus, if for instance a user wants to change a relaxation factor, add a different turbulence model, or change some other computational parameter, this will have to be written manually. However, all parameters that have been considered significant for defining a CFD case have been included in the user defined input file described above.
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A general structure of the generated script is described below. Generally, the user will include an already defined input text file that includes all of the variables described above. If not, the script will ask for every variable in an interactive mode. The interactive mode of the script allows the user to choose the calculation mode:
1. Pre-process 2. Calculation 3. Post-Process 4. Exit
However, if an input file has already been defined, the user can directly execute the script and define the input file. There are several options to execute the script: -a --all Execute pre-process and calculation -p --pre Only pre-process (meshing algorithm) -c --calculo Only calculation in case that the mesh is already generated -i --interactivo Define variables in an interactive mode -y --yes-to-all Executes without asking interactive confirmation -h --help Launches troubleshooting documents Once all variables have been introduced by the user via an input file or via the interactive mode, the script then generates all dictionaries and libraries that are needed to launch an OpenFoam case and organizes them in their specific “/constant”, “/system”, or “/0” directories. In the pre-process stage, the script has a function that detects the length of the car, the lowest point of the car (the wheelbase) in order to adapt the dimensions and the position of the wind tunnel to the car geometry. The ground is automatically fitted just below the wheels, with an overlap of 20 mm. If the user desires to simulate a road train formed by more than one vehicle, this function automatically copies and moves a second vehicle behind the rear of the first. When doing so, the defined distance between cars is respected, and the function will keep on adding vehicles subsequently until reaching the desired number of vehicles in the road train. Once the geometry has been generated and saved in its specific folders, the next stage of pre-processing is mesh generation. The script executes a meshing utility in OpenFoam called “SnappyHexMesh”, which generates a trimmed mesh around the vehicles geometries. The input parameters that involve mesh refinement, prismatic layers and refinement volumes are copied to the snappyHexMesh dictionary so that they will be taken into account in the meshing process. The calculation stage makes the user choose between a steady state RAS or a transient LES solvers. The input file also defines the turbulence model applied to each. The script will write the necessary dictionaries and libraries for each case and will then execute the corresponding OpenFoam solver with a previously defined parallelization. Once the calculation is launched, the script generates a log file that prints several coefficients and residuals as the calculation moves on every time step. Finally, the post-process stage reconstructs the case to one CPU so that the user can easily post-process it. The script automatically launches ParaFoam post-process solver and opens the solution files so that the user can start post-processing as soon as the calculation has finished.
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2.1.7 Script Testing As usual, once the first version of the script has been tested, debugging has detected a series of weak points that have been modified in following versions. At the moment three different versions have been written, that is v1.1, v1.2 and v1.3. Version 1.1 has worked without any bug being detected in the interactive mode and it generated a correct input file called CASE file. However, as soon as the script was launched again with the same CASE file instead of through the interactive mode, the script crashed. This bug was found to be a missing variable that was not written in the CASE file and was finally solved. Furthermore, the yes-to-all option did not execute the whole script automatically; there were some points that needed a confirmation of the user. This bug, was fixed so that this -y option executes the whole script without asking any more inputs to the user. Another problem was that log files would be constantly overwritten as soon as different cases were executed. This was modified by configuring an append-to-file option to the log generation. Script version 1.2 included the previously solved problems and it has undergone further debugging. The origin of every geometry might be slightly different, solve a small function has been added to the script to compensate any difference in geometry origins. This way, different geometries are automatically aligned on the same floor, at the same height, and centre equally in the wind tunnel. Finally, defining mesh resolution boxes had to be done manually, therefore a solution was found to be able to define desired mesh refinement areas before launching the script. As shown in Figure 4 below, both vehicle geometries (in STL or NAS format) and resolution boxes (same formats as before) are the inputs of the v1.2 script, and the firsts are detected as geometry and the latter are included in the meshing dictionary under as refinement regions. This modification has proven to be very useful since sensible areas where strong turbulence is likely to be present are refined so that such effects are captured in the calculation.
Figure 4: An example of the vehicle geometries for STL and NAS formats Latest version 1.3 has included all previous modifications and has solved some other issues. Most importantly, the script crashed when launched in a remote server with parallel computation at CESCA. A modification of the script decomposition method as well as detecting the number of CPUs has solved this problem and it has been also included in this version. Therefore, script version 1.3 runs both locally and at CESCA.
Uinf
VR2.stl
geometry2.stl VR1.stl
geometry1.stl
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Figure 5: Development of a tool for detecting surfaces
Version 1.3, however, does not include some functions that may be useful for OpenFoam users and that could be implemented as well. On one side, for transient LES calculations, an option for automatically calculating time step with a given Courant number is being included. This option optimizes convergence and calculation time. Finally, a tool for detecting different surfaces is being studied. As observed in Figure 5 above, geometries could have different physical properties other than being a wall. Inlets, outlets, or other special boundary conditions will be applied to different regions, thus increasing the number of applications of this in-house script.
2.2 CFD Simulations of Road Trains
2.2.1 Mesh Study By definition, improving resolution of a mesh improves the accuracy of a calculation, since equations are computed at more points which define the solution. However, the higher the resolution, the higher the computational cost. An efficient resolution is that which gives a good accuracy without compromising computational cost to limits in which a possible increase in accuracy becomes negligible. A mesh study has therefore been realized to find an optimum resolution of the volume mesh of the train of vehicles. Three different resolutions have been tested for the mesh study; from now on COARSE, FINE, and VERY FINE. The aim is to find the smallest mesh resolution at which the results become stationary and unaffected by an increase in resolution.
Figure 6: Example of a FINE mesh resolution.
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Figure 7: Detail of mesh refinement The first case that has been tested is the XC60 geometry results are shown in Figure 8. Three different resolutions have been tested, generating the FINE case seen in Figure 6 above a diverged solution due to unknown computational parameters. The VERY FINE and COARSE meshes have generated a similar result, being the VERY FINE mesh a bit more stable in terms of oscillations. The V60 geometry has two meshes with similar results, that is the FINE and VERY FINE with prim layers in the surface for capturing the boundary layer. The FINE mesh shows a bit of an offset above the other meshes as can be seen in Figure 9. The S60 geometry shows an approximately constant offset between each of the tested meshes, having the VERY FINE as the lowest value as seen in Figure 10.
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Figure 10: Mesh study for the S60
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The mesh study has proven the need of having a VERY FINE mesh, since one cannot ensure that coarser meshes will give similar results. Furthermore, VERY FINE meshes have numerically stable solutions.
2.2.2 Final calculations Once mesh resolution has been chosen, the final simulations of the train vehicles have been run. The quality of the geometries has been improved in order to have high-quality details of their components.
Figure 11: Example of velocity results for an 8-meter gap
The following gaps between vehicles have been tested; 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 15 meters, and the results of the aerodynamic coefficient Cx of each train of vehicles are presented in the figures below.
-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 3 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 12: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 3m
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-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 4 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 13: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 4m. The three-meter gap simulation presents stables Cx values for both leading trucks and for the XC60. The other two cars in between present numerical oscillations which could indicate a physical parallelism with the oscillating nature of wake turbulence as a function of time. Similarly, the four-meter gap generates a bit more instabilities in all but the first truck geometry. These numerical instabilities explain perhaps the possibility or physical instabilities in the wake, so special attention must be paid to this issue while regarding the rest of results.
-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 6 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 14: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 6m.
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-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 8 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 15: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 8m.
-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 10 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 16: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 10m.
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-0,1
-0,05
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0,4
0,45
0,5
0,55
0,6
0,65
0,7
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
Gap 15 m Full Platoon
Body 1 FH12 Body 2 FH12 Body 3 S60 Body 4 V60 Body 5 XC60
Figure 17: Cx values for the 5 vehicles with a gap of 15m. The rest of the gaps, from 6 meters up to 15, present a similar pattern. The second truck geometry keeps on having unstable results, probably due to the nature of the large wake in front and to its large size compared to the rest of cars behind it. The other three following cars present much stable solutions, perhaps meaning that the wake in that area is more stable and therefore ensuring more comfortable and energy-efficient conditions. In all cases, the leading truck has the highest Cx, followed by the second truck and the XC60. This last result of the XC60 might not only be due to the fact that this model has a higher drag than the other two cars, but the fact that it is the last one in the road train could add some extra drag as well. Finally, the two cars in between, the S60 and V60 models, present very similar – and lowest- drag values throughout the whole battery of simulations. The following results present the Cx values of each car as a function of the gap of the road train. It is interesting to compare the value of a geometry to easily observe which gap value reduces drag the most.
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0,4
0,41
0,42
0,43
0,44
0,45
0,46
0,47
0,48
0,49
0,5
0,51
0,52
0,53
0,54
0,55
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
FH12 LV
3m 4m 6m 8m 10m 15m
Figure 18: How the gap size affects the Cx of the LV
0,4
0,41
0,42
0,43
0,44
0,45
0,46
0,47
0,48
0,49
0,5
0,51
0,52
0,53
0,54
0,55
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
FH12 LV
3m 4m 6m 8m 10m 15m
Figure 19: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV1
-0,1-0,08-0,06-0,04-0,02
00,020,040,060,08
0,10,120,140,160,18
0,20,220,240,260,28
0,30,320,340,360,38
0,4
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
S60
3m 4m 6m 8m 10m 15m
Figure 20: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV2
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0,03
0,04
0,05
0,06
0,07
0,08
0,09
0,1
0,11
0,12
0,13
0,14
0,15
0,16
0,17
0,18
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
V60
3m 4m 6m 8m 10m 15m
Figure 21: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV3
0,040,050,060,070,080,090,1
0,110,120,130,140,150,160,170,180,190,2
0,210,220,230,24
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Cx
Time (s)
XC60
3m 4m 6m 8m 10m 15m
Figure 22: How the gap size affects the Cx of the FV4 Apart from the leading truck, as a general rule, the farthest away from the large wake of the trucks, the more stable the numerical solution is (in terms of oscillations). These tendencies are expected to be almost parallel, but in many cases they are not. However, the effect of the gap on drag is clearly observed and summarized in the graphs below. The following graph compares Cx, or the non-dimensional value of drag. Larger vehicles can be compared to the smaller ones, and the effects of drag are independent on surface area. The leading truck presents the highest Cx, having the second truck an important reduction from about 0.58 to values around 0.3.
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0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
3 4 6 8 10 15 ref
Cx
GAP (m)
PLATOON Cx
LV Truck
FV Truck
FV Car 1
FV Car 2
FV Car 3
Figure 23: Cx comparisons for all 5 vehicles at different gap size’s
The difference in Cx, however, demonstrates that the vehicles that reduce their Cx the most are all but the leading vehicle which of course does not have the benefit of a wake in front of it.
0
0,05
0,1
0,15
0,2
0,25
0,3
0,35
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
dC
x
Gap (m)
Delta Cx
LV Truck
FV Truck
FV Car 1
FV Car 2
FV Car 3
Figure 24: Delta Cx for all 5 vehicles at different gap size’s
The figure below presents the percentage reduction in Cx for each vehicle. The three cars behind present the most proportional benefits since the wake of the trucks in front is a lot larger. Secondly, one would expect an escalated tendency of the Cx to increase with increasing gap distances; however that is only the case for the last two cars. The first three are inside large turbulent wakes that alter this tendency. In fact, the figure demonstrates that in a general case a gap of 3 or 4 meters is not the best solution since there is too much instability. A distance of 6 or 8 meters seems the most optimized solution in terms of drag.
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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
3 4 6 8 10 15
% C
x R
ed
uct
ion
GAP (m)
% Cx Reduction
LV Truck
FV Truck
FV Car 1
FV Car 2
FV Car 3
Figure 25: The percentage Cx reduction for each vehicle at each gap size.
2.2.3 Renders of the simulation A more visual representation of the aero dynamical effects is presented next, via a series of renders from the solver. These are instantaneous moments from the simulation, chosen as good examples because at that point in time, the simulation was already stable.
Air velocityPlatoon @ 90 kph and 3 m gap.
Air velocityPlatoon @ 90 kph and 6 m gap.
Air velocityPlatoon @ 90 kph and 15 m gap.
Figure 26: Aero dynamic representation of the vehicles at 3, 6 & 15m gaps
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The figures show the air velocity as the air moves over the platoon. Three different gaps were used for the screen shots: 3, 6 and 15 meters. All of them are at 90 km/h and with the same platoon running order. In these three images, air velocity was chosen to depict the movement of the air around a platoon. The wake turbulence is more visible than with other values. It is clearly visible that the wake turbulence behind the heavy trucks is quite large. As the gap increases, the wake is able to stabilize and create a smooth area for the following vehicles. Finally, the following image shows a very clear example of how the pressure and air moves around a platoon. The lead vehicle must break an enormous amount of air in front of it to circulate, while the rest of the vehicles face much less air pressure. This is visible via the red coloured contours. Notice that the following truck, of the same make and model of the lead vehicle, has a very low pressure percentage compared to the leader.
Figure 27: An image showing the frontal pressure on each platoon vehicle
2.2.4 CFD Conclusions CFD simulations have demonstrated that road trains reduce drag of each component, even the leading car. The following truck may have drag benefits of around 40% and 50%, and for the rest of following cars Cx reductions rise up to 60%-75%. The gap distance of the vehicles do have an effect in drag reduction; however, slight gap differences do not involve large changes in drag reduction. There is a small sensibility to gap separation, since the important concept observed is that what is really reducing drag is the fact alone of being inside a road train. Any gap separation will not involve a major difference. These results demonstrate a large potential in vehicle platooning for CO2 emissions reduction. An in-depth correlation and validation of the whole system is the next step for ensuring that road trains could be a reality awaiting just around the bend.
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2.3 CFD Simulations of Lateral Offset
2.3.1 Lateral Offset All CFD simulations described above involve the supposition that all vehicles are perfectly aligned in the x-direction. Correlation proved that this is not true for real-life tests, so a simulation of lateral offset has been carried out to understand the influence of lateral offset in the overall drag of the vehicles.
2.3.2 Results Simulations have been run with a 6-meter gap between the 2 trucks, which have the greatest aerodynamic influence. The geometry of the two trucks was simulated, and the following vehicle was displaced in the y-direction for values of 0.2, 0.6, and 1 meters.
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2
Cx
Lateral Offset (m)
Offset Cx, Gap 6m
LV Truck
FV Truck
Figure 28: Y-direction displacements of FV1 with a 6m gap
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1 1,2
% C
x
Lateral Offset (m)
% Cx reduction
LV Truck
FV Truck
Figure 29: Cx reduction for varying y-direction offsets of FV1 with a 6m gap
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The leading vehicle showed very little effect on lateral offset. The second truck was almost unaffected by the 0.2 meter offset, and instabilities even reduced drag slightly (4%). The 0.6-meter offset generated an increase of Cx of almost 10%, while the 1-meter offset increased drag by almost 23%.
2.3.3 Conclusions CFD results showed that if the vehicles within a road train have lateral offset errors up to 0.2 meters, the drag is almost unaffected. It would be safe to keep the offset below that value. Above that, and over 0.6 m and 1 meter, drag would increase considerably and the overall energetic efficiency of a road train would decrease.
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3 TEST TRIALS
3.1 Road Train Configuration The platoon or convoy consisted of five vehicles (two trucks and three cars), in the following order:
1. Volvo FH12 Rigid Truck as LV 2. Volvo FH12 Rigid Truck as FV1 3. Volvo S60 as FV2 4. Volvo V60 as FV3 5. Volvo XC60 as FV4
Figure 30: An image of the platoon vehicles
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The table below show the vehicles characteristics: VEHICLE Volvo FH12 Rigid Truck Volvo S60, T6 Volvo V60, T4 Volvo XC60, D5
Length (mm) 9500 4628 4628 4628
Width (mm) 2540 1899 1899 1891
Height (mm) 4300 1484 1484 1672
Number axles 3 2 2 2
Number wheels 8 4 4 4
Wheelbase axle 1-2 (mm) 4800 2776 2776 2774
Wheelbase axle 2-3 (mm) 1370 - - -
Type
13L Diesel, Euro5, Ad-
Blue
In-line 6 cyl, turbo,
petrol
In-line 4 cyl, turbo,
petrol
In-line 5 cyl, turbo,
Diesel
Max Output 353 kw (480 hp) 224 kW (304 hp) 132 kW (180 hp) 136 kW (185 hp)
Max Torque N/A 440 Nm 240 Nm 400 Nm
Transmission
12-gear, I-shift robotic
automatic
6-gear, automatic,
Geartronic
6-gear, automatic,
Powershift
6-gear, automatic,
Geartronic
Dimension 315/70 R22,5 235/40 R18 235/40 R18 235/60 R18 103V
Front axle pressure 850 kPa 240 kPa 240 kPa 240 kPa
Rear axles pressure 900 kPa 240 kPa 240 kPa 240 kPa
DIMENSIONS
ENGINE
TYRES
Table 1: Vehicle characteristics
3.2 Vehicle Instrumentation A MCD-hub (Measurement Calibration Diagnostic-hub) was used for logging fuel consumption data in the cars. The hub was connected to the vehicle CAN bus and equipped with a manual trigger button to indicate start and end of each test case. The logged signals are presented below and were selected together with VCC Fuel Economy Analysis group. Signal logged by MCD hub Reason for logging the signal
Gear To not make any measurements where the gears are changed
Lock-up To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel
Diesel Particle Filter regeneration To not make any measurements where the a DPF regeneration is on (applicable for diesel engine only)
Alternator generator current To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel
Charge Mode To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel
Steering wheel angle To see where the vehicles are on the track and to trace its influence
Injection of fuel To see how the consumption differs when driving with or without platoon and with different gap sizes.
Vehicle speed To see if the vehicles are having a constant speed and not to measure fuel consumption with incorrect speed
Engine Speed To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel
Acceleration pedal position (%) To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel
Brake Pressure
To check if variations of the parameter could have any influence of the amount of injected fuel, since it could put a pressure on the brakes
Button pressed Used to indicate where a straight begin and ends Table 2: Table of vehicle signals logged and reasons why
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After every test day the data was downloaded to a laptop pc by IDIADA. The data was logged in .dat format and was converted by IDIADA to preferred format to be able to analyse the material. Throughout the tests all drivers were taking notes about deviations that occurred, start of test and start of each lap. The notes were also handed over to IDIADA after each test day.
3.2.1 Vehicle instrumentation in the trucks During the evaluation of fuel consumption and the road test at IDIADA, both trucks were equipped with dedicated logger equipment developed within the EuroFOT project (http://www.eurofot-ip.eu/). The fuel consumption was measured using existing vehicle data signals from the trucks powertrain. SARTRE CAN data was recording as a separate CAN bus in the logger. GPS position data was also recorded to support the analysis. The analysis of fuel consumption was analysed using Matlab tools
Figure 31: Installation of the EuroFOT logger in one truck, shown with and without lid.
3.3 Track specification The selected test track for the fuel consumption tests was the High Speed Track. This is a 4 lane, oval type track with an 80% bank (30.66º) on each curve. The total length on the most outward lane is 7579 m and 7493 m for the most inner lane. The track has 2 straights of length 2000 m each. Circulation is clockwise. There are four controlled points for measuring fuel consumption:
1. 0m south straight 2. 2 000m south straight 3. 0m north straight 4. 2 000m north straight
The checkpoints are shown in the following picture:
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North Straight
South Straight
0 km
2 km 0 km
2 km
Figure 32: Track layout
Used track information:
State of track surface: Dry
Max longitudinal gradient - 0.3 % in North Straight (NS) + 0.3 % in South Straight (SS)
Track altitude 125 m Straight length: 2 000 m Track length: 7 493 m (Lane 1)
Table 3: Track information
3.4 Test procedures During the test trial weeks, special procedures were adopted to prepare the vehicles to, carry out the tests and in the end obtain the required data for analysis. This is a description of the activities:
3.4.1 Pre-test procedures Every test day, the first activity was to follow a pre-test procedure to ensure that the vehicles were ready and in good conditions for the fuel consumption tests. The most important points of the pre-test procedure were:
Perform a walk-around the vehicles, looking for any visual damage that could
be appreciated. Verify that the antennas were properly installed on the outside of the vehicle. Verify that all the SARTRE hardware and cabling was in place and connected. Verify that each vehicle had two radios: one for tower control and one for
team communication. Unplug all the charging systems for the batteries. Measure tyre pressure while cold. Start the vehicles according to the starting sequence checklist. Verify the fuel tank is full. Fill if required. Drive to the HSC main parking.
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3.4.2 External conditions A number of environmental factors needed to be verified prior to the testing:
Atmospheric pressure greater than or equal to 82.5 kPa. Wind speed must be below 3 m/s. Short wind gusts of up to 8 m/s are
acceptable. External temperature between 0 and 30°C. The humidity level must be below 95%.
If one of these conditions is not met, the fuel consumption measurement could be compromised.
3.4.3 Track conditions Track conditions to be met and ensured before testing:
The track must be free (at least one exclusive lane), clean and dry. The track must have straight sections of at least 2 km, in order to measure
the fuel consumption along the complete length of the track. The track must be horizontal with a maximum gradient of ±1.0%. Tests must
be carried out in both directions (uphill and downhill). The results in both directions must be presented as an average.
Measurements are only considered when the road train is stable on the selected straight segments of the track.
3.4.4 Testing procedures There were two necessary types of test that were performed for the fuel consumption analysis: a reference test as base for comparison and the platooning test.
3.4.4.1 Reference test procedure It was necessary to measure the fuel consumption individually for each vehicle in order to compare it with the fuel consumption while platooning. The fuel consumption for the reference test has been measured following this procedure:
a) Perform the vehicle warm up Cars: 20 minutes of cruise driving at 120 km/h Trucks: 20 minutes of cruise driving at 90 km/h Avoid braking. It is necessary to warm up all the vehicles at the same time, right
before the beginning of the test to ensure consistent measurement data.
b) Perform the pre-test checklist (Annex 1).
AC off. Heater off. Fan off. Seat warmers off. Windows up. Internal light selected for duration of test or off. Cannot be modified. Dipped headlights on. Data logger on.
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c) Distance setting All the vehicles driven manually must maintain at least 200 m between
them.
d) Speed stabilization Once the minimum distance is achieved, each vehicle sets speed to
85 km/h and activates cruise control. When the speed is stabilized, each driver clicks 5 times on data log
trigger or high beams for trucks, to recognize new test in data log.
e) Fuel consumption measurement. With stabilized speed for more than 200 metres, after the curves, each
vehicle starts logging while crossing point zero (0 km mark on the first straight).
After 2000 m, on the 2 km mark, each vehicle stops logging. After exiting the second curve, each vehicle begins logging at point
zero (0 km mark) of the second straight. After 2000 m, on the 2 km mark of the second straight, each vehicle
stops logging. This procedure is repeated for at least 5 laps to the HSC.
A minimum of one reference test per day was performed.
3.4.4.2 Platooning test procedure In order to obtain the valuable data for the project, the platooning tests were carried out following this procedure and latterly compared to the reference tests:
a) Perform the vehicle warm up Cars: 20 minutes of cruise driving at 120 km/h Trucks: 20 minutes of cruise driving at 90 km/h Avoid braking. It is necessary to warm up all the vehicles at the same time, right
before the beginning of the test to ensure consistent measurement data.
b) Perform the pre-test checklist (Annex 1).
AC off. Heater off. Fan off. Seat warmers off. Windows up. Internal light selected for duration of test or off. Cannot be modified. Dipped headlights on. Data logger on.
c) Perform create platoon manoeuvre.
Lead vehicle starts platooning system, 70 km/h. One by one, the FT and the FVs start joining the platoon.
d) Speed stabilization
Once the full platoon is created, the LV speeds up to 85 km/h. When the speed is stabilized, all vehicles click 5 times on data log
trigger or high beams for trucks, to recognize new test in data.
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e) Fuel consumption measurement. With stabilized speed and platoon for more than 200 metres, after the
curves, LV starts data logging while crossing point zero (0 km mark on the first straight).
Each following vehicle starts their data log when crossing point zero. After 2000 m, on the 2 km mark, LV stops logging. Every following vehicle stops logging at the 2 km mark. After exiting the second curve, LV begins logging at point zero (0 km
mark) of the second straight. All following vehicles start logging at point zero of the second straight. After 2000 m, on the 2 km mark of the second straight, LV stops
logging. Every following vehicle stops logging at the 2 km mark of the second
straight. This procedure is repeated for at least 5 laps to the HSC.
Every gap selected for analysis was tested with the precedent procedure.
Due to weather conditions or other factors the repetition of some laps was necessary.
If there was a difference of less than 3% in at least three repetitions of each
straight, the fuel consumption results were considered acceptable.
The final fuel consumption is given as the average of the final values of each direction.
Final fuel consumption = [average(A1,B1)+average (A2,B2)+average(A1,B2)]/3
The speed testing tolerance was +/- 0.5 %. 3.4.4.3 Post-test procedure After finishing all the reference and platooning tests, the team would gather back in the HSC main parking. An evaluation on the performed tests was made in order to decide whether to repeat any test or to retrieve the data from the vehicles.
The tests were considered valid if the weather conditions were constant or had a variation of +/- 3%.
The tests were considered valid if the platoon worked correctly and there were no control losses, leave or dissolve during the straight sections.
If manual driving or driver input was required sometime during the straights, an additional lap was driven.
If, by time or track constraints, the tests would not achieve the minimum of 3 valid laps and there was no opportunity to repeat laps, that test was considered invalid.
After leaving the HSC, the vehicles were refuelled. The data was recovered in the base parking. The vehicles were shut-off following the specified procedure, if any.
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4 TESTS PERFORMED The distances tested for the full platoon system were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15 meters. 2 truck platoon was also tested at 20 and 25 meters gap. The measured fuel consumption for each gap was compared to a reference test, which was performed either immediately before or immediately after the test. This was in order to have the most similar weather conditions between tests for the analysis, due to the fact that the tests carried on for several days. Measurements of the fuel consumption are not available for cars at gap sizes of 7 m and below. The reason for this is that an analysis of the results showed that an internal safety function in the cars triggered a pre-charging of the brakes while driving at such close distances to prepare for immediate braking if so should be needed. The pre-changing affected the fuel consumption and hence the measurements are excluded from the graphs. This is a summary schedule of the performed tests:
Day 1: Thursday, May 17th: 12 meters gap
Day 2: Friday, May 18th: 6, 8, 10 and 15 meters gap
Day 3: Saturday, May 19th: 9 meters gap
Day 4: Wednesday, May 23rd: 7 and 8 meters gap
Day 5: Tuesday, May 29th: 5 meters gap
4.1 Test results The test results are shown in this chapter as the percentage of fuel saved while platooning at different gaps compared to the reference test. Results are presented both for platooning where only two trucks used and with a full platoon comprised of two trucks and three vehicles.
4.1.1 Full platoon fuel consumption This chart shows the fuel consumption results for the full platoon with the selected gaps. There are several behaviours that can be noticed throughout the chart.
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Figure 33: Graph of percentage of fuel saved for each vehicle relative to gap size
Previous studies show that the fuel consumption decreases with shortening gaps. In the case of the SARTRE project there is no exception, the trend is that the fuel consumption decreases with decreasing gap size for all vehicles in the road train. As previously mentioned, between 5 and 7 meters there is no fuel consumption information available for the cars, but there is for the trucks.
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Figure 34: Graph of percentage of fuel saved for each vehicle for gap sizes between 8
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4.1.2 Truck fuel consumption This chart shows the fuel consumption results for the two trucks at different gaps with a road train consisting of two trucks only and no cars.
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Figure 35: Graph of the percentage of fuel saved for the two trucks relative to gap size
between 5 and 25 metres This behaviour follows a similar trend to what has been previously researched and akin to that of the simulation results. Note that that the results for truck only platooning are very similar to those of full platooning, giving a hint that the effects of the following vehicles could be not that significant for larger vehicles up front.
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5 CONCLUSIONS One of the objectives of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by making a more efficient use of vehicle fuel through the benefits of the reduced aerodynamic drag that platooning generates. The work in this deliverable explains the results of the fuel consumption tests that were carried out. The initial activity was a CFD simulation of the platoon in several gaps. This was made to have an idea of the approximate fuel consumption that could be expected on the track and to analyse if there was any specific behaviour at different spacing. The simulation was programmed in OpenFOAM software, with a project specific script. The results showed that the platoon, ranging from 3 to 15 meters in the simulation, could achieve a reduction in the aerodynamic drag coefficient of up to 80% in some cases. Note this is only aerodynamic drag reduction. As for the behaviour of the platoon at different gaps, it was noticed that the wake turbulence generated behind the trucks was unsteady and at very close following provided less saving that at greater spacing. As the gap increases, the air flow becomes steadier and the aerodynamic drag is reduced. Nevertheless, there is aerodynamic drag reduction at all stages. Even offset was checked, reaching the result that only a very large offset would produce a different result. The track testing that was carried out provided very good results on fuel consumption. The fuel consumption behaviour of the platoon followed an always decreasing trend as the gap size was reduced. It is important to mention that the tests of 5 through 7 meters for the car rendered no information, yet the trucks do have that data. The reduction in fuel consumption ranges from 7% to 16%. The results confirm that platooning provides a great benefit in various aspects of mobility. In the case of reducing emissions and achieving a better fuel consumption, the result is very satisfactory and the system has a mid-term incursion potential. With this results, the project aims at encouraging the necessary legislative changes to allow platooning on public roads.
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The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
Project: 233683 SARTRE Title: Commercial Viability Deliverable No: D5.1 Doc Id: SARTRE_5_001_PU Author: Mattias Brännström Organisation: Volvo Car Corporation Date: 2013-01-10 Revision: 2.0 Dissemination: PUBLIC
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Revision History Revision Date Author Description 0.1 18/10/2012 Mattias Brännström First draft of WP 5.1 0.2 08/11/2012 Mattias Brännström Update of Section 4 and 5 0.3 13/11/2012 Arturo Davila Revision 0.4 16/11/12 Txomin Rodríguez Revision 0.5 16/11/12 Mattias Brännström Revision 0.6 7/12/2012 Linda Wahlström Updated title page 0.7 17/12/2012 Mattias Brännström Changed the order in which the different
models are presented to be consistent 0.8 17/12/2012 Daniel Skarin Updated SP’s logo 0.9 18/12/2012 Peter Gilhead Some minor edits 1.0 19/12/2012 Mattias Brännström Revision 1.0 1.1 8/1/2013 Mattias Brännström Minor update after comments from EC 2.0 10/01/2013 Paviter Jootel Final Release
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Abstract The SARTRE project aims at developing attractive customer products that make the traffic safer, decrease fuel consumption and enable drivers to perform other tasks than driving. This document is a commercial viability report for road trains which offer this type of functionality. Different business models are studied and conclusions are drawn on the commercial viability for each model.
Executive summary From a commercial viability perspective, road trains are initially attractive mainly to long haul truck companies, which can profit from reduced fuel consumption both on small and large scale. The reduced fuel consumption can lead to large savings in the cost of transportation and a decreased CO2 footprint. Road trains for trucks may later open up a market for long distance commuters who can join existing road trains led by professional drivers. The potential benefit for introducing road trains to a broader market is substantial, e.g., in terms of increased road capacity, decreased CO2 footprint, increased work efficiency and comfort. However, for practical reasons highlighted in this report, for passenger vehicles, road trains will mainly be attractive to long distance commuters in areas where there are plenty of road trains for commercial vehicles. The main challenge that has to be overcome to reach a high market penetration for passenger cars is to encourage customers to buy vehicles capable of platooning before there are large numbers of lead vehicles available, and to encourage the professional drivers to take the additional licenses to lead a road train. Additionally, the end users need to gain trust in that licensed drivers are trained to drive safely. To accomplish this, engagement from governments is needed, e.g., in terms of providing free access to car pool lanes for equipped vehicles even before there are any lead vehicles available and to provide education at low cost to drivers who desire to lead road trains.
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Table of contents 1. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................ 5
1.1 Terminology ................................................................................................ 5 2. CUSTOMER BENEFITS .................................................................................... 6
2.1. Following commercial vehicles .................................................................... 6 2.2. Following passenger vehicles...................................................................... 6 2.3. The lead vehicle .......................................................................................... 7 2.4. The society.................................................................................................. 7
3. PRODUCT SOLUTIONS AND AVAILABILITY ................................................... 7 3.1. Road trains for commercial vehicles ............................................................ 7 3.2. Monthly subscription of road train usage ..................................................... 8 3.3. Pay-as-you-go for joining the road train ....................................................... 8 3.4. Free service based on ”sponsored” benefits ................................................ 8 3.5. Taking turns in leading the road train .......................................................... 9 3.6. Open market for subscriptions, taking turns and pay-as-you-go ................ 10
4. BUSINESS CASE ............................................................................................ 10 4.1. Add-on cost for equipment, communication and maintenance .................. 10 4.2. Road trains for commercial vehicles .......................................................... 11 4.3. Monthly subscription of road train usage ................................................... 11 4.4. Pay-as-you-go for joining the road train ..................................................... 12 4.5. Free service based on ”sponsored” benefits .............................................. 12 4.6. Taking turns in leading the road train ........................................................ 13 4.7. Added value in highways ........................................................................... 13
5. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 13 References .............................................................................................................. 13
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1. OVERVIEW This document is divided into four parts. Customer benefits are described in Section 2, which provide a background for different product solutions presented in Section 3. The business case for each product solution is studied in Section 3.2 and conclusions on the commercial viability are drawn in Section 5.
1.1 Terminology
Phrase Description Road train Coordinated group of vehicles following the leader’s actions Lead vehicle Manually controlled vehicle at the front of the road train Following vehicle Automated vehicle that forms part of the road train, follows
guidance from the lead vehicle V2V Vehicle to Vehicle communication V2I Vehicle to Infrastructure communication User The driver in a following vehicle
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2. CUSTOMER BENEFITS The motivation and perceived benefits of road trains may vary for different kinds of stakeholders, for example: Long distance drivers: safety, reduced fuel consumption, increased comfort. Trucking fleets: increased productivity by being enabling rotation of rested drivers
to avoid long periods when the trucks are stationary (non-productive time). Professional truck drivers: extra income for providing the service of leading the
platoon. Truck/ car makers: new vehicle functionality and means to product differentiation. Communication/telecom companies and highway operators: new revenue
streams (both one time and recurring) from new services, means of product and service differentiation
In below section the customer benefits from lead vehicle, following vehicle and the society will be presented.
2.1. Following commercial vehicles Following commercial vehicles, e.g., trucks or buses, benefit mainly from decreased fuel consumption and by reduced working hours or increased work efficiency if time spent in a road train can be considered as rest.
2.2. Following passenger vehicles There are several benefits for following passenger vehicles, the most obvious being
Increased safety, ~50% reduction of highway related accidents*
Decreased fuel consumption, ~10% reduction [1]
Enabling drivers to perform other tasks, e.g, reading or working
*Trucks, which generally are driven by professional drivers, are exposed to 50% less accidents per kilometre while driving on highways [VCC Safety Center]. Additionally, the driver of the lead vehicle is assisted by active safety technology, thus reducing the accident frequency even further. Furthermore, if the truck at some point should be exposed to an accident, despite all measures taken, this can be instantly communicated by V2V to the following vehicles which can apply immediate emergency braking to avoid or mitigate an accident. User motivation is crucial to use the service, and it is going to depend on several factors. For a passenger vehicle in a road train led by a truck, this will probably mean cruising at lower speed than would perhaps be achieved when driving individually, so there is a trade-off between this perceived loss of time during the journey compared to the advantage of using that time in a more productive or relaxing way than in normal driving conditions. Further benefits could be introduced to make platooning more favourable: for example, the provision of additional services like high speed internet and high quality teleconference connections, or family entertainment services (movies and music menu, free internet, car to car games for children, online tourist guides and navigation).
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2.3. The lead vehicle The lead vehicle is essential to form a road train and has less obvious benefits than those of the following vehicles. This has to be considered when forming a business case, as it is of importance that all parts have a clear benefit. One benefit for the lead vehicle is that the fuel consumption is decreased, specially if the following vehicle is a truck [1]. Moreover, trucks are often run by companies which maintain whole fleets of trucks. This enables installation of road train technology in entire fleets, collective training of drivers for reduced cost and further optimised fuel consumption. However, additional compensation may be needed to motivate drivers to take this role and the increased responsibility which follows with it. A vehicle driver benefits by being a lead vehicle from, e.g.,
Fees paid to the lead vehicle by the following vehicles
Allowance to become a following vehicle later on, i.e., taking turns to lead
Other benefits, such as allowance to drive in a car pool lane while leading/offering to lead a road train
Furthermore, the system must be easy to use to encourage use by the driver of the lead vehicle.
2.4. The society The society is not a direct customer, but since there are clear benefits for society it might be of interest for governments to encourage this type of technology. The most obvious benefits being
Increased safety, ~50% reduction of highway related accidents
Reduced congestion by driving with a reduced following distance [2]
Decreased CO2 footprint as the fuel consumption decreases
Increased GDP by enabling the drivers to perform other tasks than driving
3. PRODUCT SOLUTIONS AND AVAILABILITY In this section, different product solutions are described and used to form a business case for each solution in Section 4. Add-on-cost for equipment needed for enabling road train is discussed in the end of Section 3.
3.1. Road trains for commercial vehicles For commercial vehicles, the main driving force is reduced fuel consumption in trucks, but there are also potential benefits in enabling the drivers in following trucks to perform other tasks and thus increase their efficiency and/or decrease their workload. This model has the advantage that it can be quickly adopted and applied locally by, e.g., logistic companies when they upgrade their vehicles. Since immediate benefits can be made in long haul trucks, this model is considered as the most likely to first adopt this type of technology. As the market penetration increases, this model opens up both for the pay-as-you-go model and for the monthly subscription model.
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3.2. Monthly subscription of road train usage In the monthly subscription model, it is assumed that passenger vehicles are paying a monthly fee to get access to road trains for commuting. The road train is led by a truck driven by a professional driver. The monthly subscription may either be paid by the user or by his/her company to either make the company more attractive to employees and/or to increase the efficiency of the employees by enabling them to work while being transported to work by the road train. The availability of vehicles equipped with technology for leading the road train will be limited in the initial phase which has to be considered when offering subscriptions. It is important that users get value for their money, and hence, subscriptions shall only be offered to a limited number of users matching the number of available lead vehicles. As the number of lead vehicles increase, more subscriptions may be offered. The monthly fee that can be accepted by the customers is estimated to mainly depend on the availability of road trains, the geographical location of the road trains, e.g., in high/low income areas, and the willingness of companies to consider time spent in the road train as working hours. Since the subscription model can be applied locally in a selected geographical region or even a specific road, it could possibly be an attractive alternative to first launch this type of technology for passenger vehicles. A prerequisite for launching this model is that there are many commercial vehicles, i.e., trucks or buses, available which can act as lead vehicles. For example, conditions near a ferry terminal might be good; lots of cars and trucks at the same place and at the same time when the ferry arrives.
3.3. Pay-as-you-go for joining the road train This model is, at least in an initial phase, mainly directed to long distance travel, but may later be applied more locally. The users pay a fee to the lead vehicle for joining the road train over a predefined route, e.g., over a distance of 400 km, or per distance of usage. The pay-as-you-go model is particularly attractive to users who travel long distances on a regular basis, who have a monthly subscription for local usage or for rental cars in regions where there are many lead vehicles available. Other customers may not be prepared to make the initial investment in necessary technology in their own vehicle unless they can also benefit from road trains in their everyday life. Since availability of road trains is crucial to be attractive to the users, there is a need for a large number of lead vehicles already in the initial phase in this model. Hence, the model is less attractive to first launch this type of technology. However, this model may be attractive once a high market penetration has been reached, or as a compliment for road trains mainly directed to commercial vehicles.
3.4. Free service based on ”sponsored” benefits Since there are clear benefits for governments, there may be an interest to encourage this type of technology, e.g., by providing benefits to users and lead vehicles. In the free service based model, users get immediate benefits when they purchase the vehicle, e.g., in terms of free access to car pool lanes or free parking. Geographical areas where a substantial fee is already charged for driving solo in car pool lanes may be considered at an initial phase. Other locations may be considered later on. The benefits are used to quickly attract a high numbers of users, where the
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initial target group is customers who highly value their time. When the number of users increases, this will attract individuals to take a professional license to drive a lead vehicle and hence earn a profit while driving to work. Drivers with professional licenses charge the users a fee for leading the road train. Since the users in the target group are customers who value their time, they are assumed to be prepared to pay a substantial fee to be able to work more efficiently or to get more spare time. This fee may also be paid by the user's employer, thereby enabling the user to work more efficiently and to make the employer more attractive to the user. Since immediate benefits can be given to users before a critical number of lead vehicles are available, this model is attractive to launch road trains to a broad market. However, engagement from governments is needed to encourage the users to adopt the technology in the first place. As the number of users increase, the benefits may be adjusted. For example, at a first stage, benefits may be restricted to users who buy vehicles capable of platooning, then to users and lead vehicles who offer to lead a road train with at least one user. Later on, the restrictions may be further adjusted to apply to lead vehicles who offer to lead a road train with at least two users, three road users, and so on. The benefits may also be used as a measure to obtain a balanced number of users and lead vehicles. Once a high market penetration has been reached, the benefits may be removed and the next product solution comes into play.
3.5. Taking turns in leading the road train In this model, it is assumed that vehicles may act both as lead vehicles and users. Similarly as bicyclists taking turns in leading a group of cyclists, these vehicles take turns in leading the road train. This model is particularly attractive to customers who would like to free up some time while travelling on main roads between their home and their work place. The model is applicable on roads where there is a high number of users available in the first place. On such roads, rather than getting paid in terms of money, the lead vehicle may get paid in terms of credits which may be used to get allowance to become a user for some time. For example, if you agree to lead a road train of two users on your way to work, you get to become a user during two trips to your workplace later on. This model is useful as a compliment to the monthly subscription model and when the free service based sponsored benefits are removed. This model is particularly useful in areas where there are only a few commercial vehicles traveling on main roads during rush hour. To successfully launch this model in areas where there are no car pooling lanes available, it may be necessary to financially encourage users both to buy the vehicle in the first place and also to take a license to become allowed to act as a lead vehicle. Once the market penetration is high enough, the benefits may be removed. Since significant financial support is needed in the initial phase, it is not likely that this model will be launched until significant benefits have been verified in the free service based model and/or in the monthly subscription model. Furthermore, since the driver of the lead vehicle is a not a professional driver, it may take time for users to gain trust in the ability of drivers of other lead vehicles, so that they can feel safe to join the road train and thus gain from its benefits. Possibly, drivers of lead vehicles may be required to share some type of indicator for their driving skills or accidents statistics to attract users and gain their trust. Drivers who are unable to show that they are capable of leading a road train may have difficulties to attract users. Clearly, there are some obstructions to overcome to launch this model. However, it is expected that roads where this type of model is applicable
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account for a significant part of the road network and hence the success in launching this model may be critical to reach a high market penetration for passenger vehicles.
3.6. Open market for subscriptions, taking turns and pay-as-you-go Naturally, as a higher market penetration is reached in some geographical area, this may open up a market for trading between the different models, e.g., pay-as-you-go for shorter distances and fees that vary over time of the day and geographical location.
4. BUSINESS CASE To form a viable business case, it is essential that there are clear benefits for each part, both for the lead vehicle, the following vehicles, vehicle manufacturers and providers of services. In this section, business models are described and analyzed for each product solution.
4.1. Add-on cost for equipment, communication and maintenance For all product solutions, there is an add-on cost for technology and communication. Equipment needs to be added for enabling the vehicles to interact with each other (V2V) and with the driver (touch display), but the main part of the add-on cost arises from technology needed for redundancy and functional safety, e.g.,
Redundant Electronic Power Steering
Redundant Sensors, e.g. radar or lidar
Redundant Control Module
In total, the estimated add-on cost for customers is €2000, both for the lead vehicle and the following vehicle. In this estimate, it is assumed that additional features and functionality based on same technology (radar, camera, blind spot detection, electric power steering) already exist in the vehicle. Such technology may be offered in a package, e.g., with Active Cruise Control, Collision Avoidance, Lane Keeping Aid and Parking Assistance.
For the V2V communication, there are additional costs linked to the usage of V2V and to system for handling subscriptions, localizing the road train, pay-as-you-go fees, etc. It is estimated that the total cost for these services is €150/year. Moreover, since the vehicles are driving close to each other, it is important that they have similar braking capacity in case the lead vehicle has to initiate emergency braking. To assure this, the vehicles may be required to go through periodic testing. It is estimated that the periodic testing and maintenance of the system components cost €150/year. Moreover, the driver of the lead vehicle needs to obtain a license to lead the road train. The table below lists an estimated training cost of €2500/driver** for a one day course including both theory and practice with a road train consisting of one leader and two users. The cost of education may be further reduced by training drivers in larger groups.
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Education, theory 4h á €50/h €200
Education, practice 4h á €250/h for three vehicles with drivers €1000
Transportation to education site, including hotel €300
**Education, total €1500
The initial investment is hence estimated to €2000+€1500 = €3500 and an additional annual cost of €300/year for services.
4.2. Road trains for commercial vehicles For a logistics company, reduced fuel consumption may lead to large savings in the cost of transportation. When taking both the lead truck and the following truck into consideration, it is estimated that the fuel consumption can be reduced by an average ~10% by platooning. Larger savings are expected if more than two trucks are participating in the road train. When forming a business case, it should be taken into consideration that a fuel saving of ~4% can be obtained at a normal following distance for ACC. Hence, the additional saving obtained by driving in a road train formation, as compared to driving with ACC, is about ~6%. In Europe, trucks annually drive 80.000-100.000 km with a fuel consumption of 3 liter/10 km and a life span of 10 years. Reducing the fuel consumption by 6% result in savings of 0.2 liter/10 km. Assuming that the truck will drive in a road train formation for 60.000 km/year with a fuel price of €1.5/liter, then the savings become €1800/year or equivalently €18000 during the life span of the truck. With annual cost of €300/year and an initial investment of €4500, the return on investment is less than three years, including education of the driver. For an educated driver, the return on investment, when investing in a new truck, is less than two years. For each following year, the revenue will be €1500 per truck and year. Additional income for commuters or additional trucks joining the road train may be later added to these numbers, but it is enough to have one truck leading another to form a viable business case. There are a few different kinds of commercial road trains that may be considered, e.g.,
Single hauler train o Trucks from one company with same or similar destination join and
take turns to lead to save fuel and have rested drivers o No administration or joining cars/trucks
Multi hauler trains o “Regular” routes that require collaboration between haulers o Organized by freight forwarders or 3PL companies
Ad hoc trains o Lead Vehicles are open for anyone to join o Require medium to high penetration and a business model with
marketplace and ITS support o No planning required to join
In conclusion, there is a viable business case for road trains with commercial vehicles both on a small scale and on a larger scale.
4.3. Monthly subscription of road train usage In the monthly subscription model it is assumed that commuters pay a fee to the lead vehicle, e.g., a truck that is already equipped for leading a road train. This fee is set such that the lead vehicle has the same economic incentive for leading either a truck
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or two cars, which take up the same space as one truck; otherwise there is no incentive for leading cars instead of trucks. Given the fuel savings for trucks, mentioned in Section 4.2, the fee for each car is set to €0.3/10km. When driving at 80-85 km/h this equals to a fee of €2.5/h. Compared to driving solo at 110 km/h, the car saves 0.2l/10 km, equivalent to €0.3/10km, due to reduced air resistance and speed when driving in the road train. Hence, the actual cost for the commuter is zero, apart from an initial investment of €2000 and annual service and maintenance fees of €300/year. To put this into an example, assume that a commuter is driving 80 km to work. On days when using the road train, the time for transportation to work increases from 45 min to 1 h due to decreased speed, but some of the time may be used for working to compensate for this loss. Assume that the work efficiency, while being in a road train, is 75% compared to working in the office and half of the time in the road train is used for work. Then there are 40 min left in the car which can be used to for doing something else and still get the same amount of work done. When using this time, e.g., for paying bills and sending private mails, the commuter will free up more than one hour of spare time per day of use. The monthly subscription fee may be set to €50/month, including annual service and maintenance fees, with an expected use of 20h per month, or once per day. This may be attractive to some commuters with a busy private schedule, whereas other may find it more convenient to drive solo at higher speed and hence spend less time in the car each day. In conclusion, there is a viable business case for a monthly subscription for commuters to join existing road trains led by commercial vehicles. The driver of the following vehicle gains in convenience and his/her costs are covered by the fuel gains. However, there is a need for a high number of lead trucks during business hours on the road which the commuter is using, otherwise the availability will be low and it will not be attractive for the commuter to pay a monthly fee. This market would grow but is ultimately limited by the number of trucks on the road.
4.4. Pay-as-you-go for joining the road train In the pay-as-you-go model the user has more freedom when to use the road train or not and hence the fee can be set slightly higher in a monthly subscription. The fee can be set to, e.g., €0.4/10km. For a trip of 300 km, the fee is thus €12 and the net cost for the user becomes €6 when taking reduced fuel consumption into account. This model is not sustainable on its own due to the fact that the users desire a high number of lead vehicles and vice versa to get the business started. This model is a complement mainly to the monthly subscribers when they desire to go on longer trips once in a while, or for rental cars in areas where many road trains are available. Just like monthly subscriptions, the market for pay-as-you-go is limited by the number of trucks on the road.
4.5. Free service based on ”sponsored” benefits This model is depending on sponsoring of some sort, e.g., free access to car pool lanes, free parking, etc. If the benefits are large enough, many people will buy cars capable of platooning and thus start up a market for lead vehicles. These markets could potentially grow fast and to a large scale in some regions if the benefits provided by governments are substantial enough to start up a market for both users and lead vehicles.
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4.6. Taking turns in leading the road train This model is only sustainable if road trains have reached a broad market.
4.7. Added value in highways Companies whose business is user's payment for highway use can offer added value by integrating advanced road train services via back office. These services can be produced on demand by the users (subscription, pay-as-you-go, see Sections 3.2 and 3.3) or can be also coordinated with local authorities in order to mitigate traffic issues in highway sections with a high risk of congestions. With this approach users will find the expected advantages of road trains, ensuring also arrival time to destination. This new service is available in a controlled area and for that the risks are also more confined. Transport companies can be agreed to provide the platoon service and at the same time to obtain benefits from the use of the highway. Regular transport routes can be timetabled and users can take advantage of this to plan in advance their trips with the road train service.
5. CONCLUSION Road trains for commercial vehicles are viable for a business perspective since the expected reduction in fuel consumption can fund both education of the driver in the lead vehicle as well as the equipment needed for platooning. For the trucking industry, the reduced fuel consumption which road trains enable can lead to large savings in the cost of transportation and a decreased CO2 footprint. For passenger vehicles, monthly subscription models may be used to attract some commuters to become followers in road trains with commercial vehicles. However, the market for commuters is small and not expected to grow since trucks are not so common on commuter important routes at rush hours. For a successful introduction of road trains, there is a need of supportive measures like free usage of car pool lanes and bus lanes to assure instant user and lead vehicle benefits for the first customers. References 12345 [1] SARTRE Deliverable 4.3 Report on Fuel Consumption [2] Impact of platooning on the traffic efficiency, Adrian Zlocki, et al, RWTH
Aachen University (IKA), Germany [3] Internal report from Volvo Cars Safety Center
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The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
Project: 233683 SARTRE Title: Report on Infrastructure and
Environment Deliverable No: 5.2 Doc Id: SARTRE_5_002_PU Author: Arturo Dávila Organisation: Applus+ IDIADA Date: 28/12/2012 Revision: 10.0 FINAL Dissemination: PUBLIC
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Revision History
Revision Date Author Description 1 17/08/2012 Arturo Dávila First draft 2 30/10/2012 Arturo Dávila Modification of figures, inclusion of
content. 3 31/10/2012 Arturo Dávila Update logos and content 4 07/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Recalculation of CO2 benefits 5 09/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Revision 6 12/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Revision 7 26/11/2012 Arturo Dávila Revision after inclusion of Eric Chan input 8 26/11/2012 Joshua Gidney Checking and formatting 9 11/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Final revision. Final version. 10 14/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Change FC chart.
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Executive Summary
This paper focuses on the impact that platooning will have on the environment and road infrastructure. Although the objective of the project was to develop a system that does not require any modification to the infrastructure, and it was achieved, there are several external factors that might need to be modified. These factors are more related to the cases of emergency or hazards that could happen. Also the project is trying to generate positive changes to the delicate relationship between vehicles and the environment. The main infrastructure impacts will be in the interest of safety more than anything else. This is because it has been proved that the platoon can work on a public road without any changes however when considering things like the roadside safety barriers which are designed for a single car to collide with them instead of up to 8 cars colliding with them in close concession. A number of meetings with the Spanish road administrator ABERTIS were held and after they were able to ride in one of the vehicles during the public road test they stated that the roads would need practically no modification. Noting the possibility of an increase in the length of the acceleration and deceleration lanes to join and leave the highway as the only possible requirement. ABERTIS are currently modifying the tolling infrastructure to locate the tolls on branch roads that exit the highway system, avoiding the need to stop the fast traffic on the main lanes However; there are still areas that maintain the toll plazas on the main road section. It is for this type of facility that some modifications might be required. ABERTIS believe that platoons could encourage national changes on how the cost of the highway can be paid. This is not a necessary change but an optional improvement that platoons could encourage. Regarding the road maintenance concerns, the road is actually worn out by every vehicle that passes, without any time input, so no modification would be needed. Another important aspect of the project was the effect on the environment. The project attempted to achieve a reduction in fuel consumption which is directly linked to a reduction in the gases emitted to the atmosphere. Projects based on sustainability are gaining an increasing interest at a worldwide scale and during the project emission reductions were encountered when taking advantage of the aerodynamic benefits of platooning It was decided that the best way to understand the impact that this project could have on the environment was to carry out a numerical example that supplies the reader with realistic values concerning the emission reductions that are achieved in platooning. The total accumulated amount of CO2eq reduced from the 3 vehicles in the example, would be approximately 3 tonnes per year In conclusion, only the road side barriers can be considered to be not optimized to absorb the impact of a platoon. Regarding the environment a truck can save up to 2.8 tons of CO2eq in a single year and a car up to 0.1 tons simply by platooning.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 5 1 IMPACT ON INFRASTRUCTURE ...................................................................... 6
1.1 Additional impacts ....................................................................................... 9 2 IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT .................................................................. 12
2.1 General Background ................................................................................. 12 2.2 European Union’s Background – European Target ................................... 12 2.3 Calculation methods .................................................................................. 13
2.3.1 Environmental Agencies .................................................................... 13 2.3.1.1 CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS ......................... 13
3 EXAMPLE – CALCULATION OF THE EMISSION REDUCTIONS ................... 15 4 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 18 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................ 19 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 20
List of Figures Figure 1 : Abertis logo ............................................................................................... 6 Figure 2: Acceleration lane on Highway AP-2........................................................... 7 Figure 3: Overhanging toll structure in Germany ...................................................... 8 Figure 4: Digital tachograph ...................................................................................... 9 Figure 5: Road side barriers in highway AP-2.......................................................... 10 Figure 6: Toll plaza with Via-T fast lane. .................................................................. 11 Figure 7: Exhaust fumes ......................................................................................... 14 Figure 8: Fuel saving results ................................................................................... 15 Figure 9: Screen shot of the emissions calculator ................................................... 16 Figure 10: Screen shot of the emissions calculator ................................................. 17
List of Tables Table 1: Percentage of mileage by type of road ...................................................... 16
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INTRODUCTION The SARTRE project’s main objective is to create a fully functional road train that can be adopted to unmodified public highways and interact with surrounding traffic. This will encourage a step change in personal transport usage. The project addresses 3 cornerstone transportation issues: environment, safety and congestion while at the same time encourages driver acceptance through an increase in riding comfort. These cornerstones will be analysed from two different levels: the effect that platooning will have on infrastructure and the effect on the environment. These approaches will estimate the pollution and economic effects of the system. To achieve this, the results from the previous work packages will be analysed. The effect in infrastructure will be analysed after having performed a real road test, where the road administrator will provide valuable input on their own point of view after having witnessed the system in action. The environmental effects will be estimated using the new fuel consumption figures and an established and valid CO2 emission protocol.
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1 IMPACT ON INFRASTRUCTURE The SARTRE project has several objectives; one of them is to create a road train that does not require any modification to the road infrastructure. This objective has been accomplished and the system works on the open road without any problems. Nevertheless, there are other types of impact that the infrastructure will experience once platooning begins to commonly occur, such as different traffic modes, driving behaviour, new toll methods, etc. In order to analyse the impact of platooning on infrastructure, a number of meetings with the Spanish road administrator ABERTIS were held. The road test was also performed on one of their highways close to IDIADA’s facilities; hence they also have first-hand experience on how the system works and what the road behaviour was enabling them to enhance their platooning inputs. Added to this, input resulting from the different workshops and public events will be given. ABERTIS has known about the project activities for over a year, when IDIADA first presented the request for a public road test. It was at this time when the road administrators first learned about the SARTRE platooning project, and they found that it was a very interesting endeavour being carried out. They gladly acceded to help the consortium to obtain a road test.
Figure 1 : Abertis logo
After the public road test, carried out on the 22nd of May, 2012, the people from ABERTIS were able to provide a more in-depth opinion on what the SARTRE system meant for the future roads. In an interview carried out on the 18th of September with Ricard Fornesa, (Innovation Director at ABERTIS) and Marta Bertolí (Consultant at Innovation) some interesting concepts were revealed as to what platooning would imply for roads in the future. Initially, the people from ABERTIS were very impressed by the performance of the SARTRE platoon. They were able to ride in one of the vehicles during the public road test, and felt quite comfortable and confident with the system. Having this experience in hand, they noted that the roads would actually need practically no modification at all. Their only comment about the possibility of modifying the roads was to increase the length of the acceleration and deceleration lanes as shown in Error! Reference source not found. to join the highway. Ricard Fornesa mentioned that, although a car coming into the highway has a yield sign and must indeed wait for a platoon to go by if encountered, many people tend to get desperate and would most surely force their way into the platoon. He considers that having longer acceleration lanes would help to reduce this possibility.
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Figure 2: Acceleration lane on Highway AP-2
In the case of the deceleration lanes for exiting the highway, the conditions were almost the same. He states that having a longer lane would allow a car that wishes to exit to find its way out easier and be able to avoid crossing into a platoon. Nevertheless, he said that the situation of an OV coming into a platoon near an exit is more likely to happen, and a longer lane might not always be the right solution. After the access road input, Ricard and Marta had some more ideas on what a platooning system could encourage on the highways in the future. Initially, ABERTIS is currently modifying the tolling infrastructure to locate the tolls on branch roads that exit the highway system, avoiding the need to stop the fast traffic on the main lanes. They have achieved this in many sections of the highways they manage. For them, platooning would be a system that would highly profit from this. Nevertheless, this change was not promoted by platoon systems. Coming back to the toll charging system, they believe that platoons could also encourage national changes on how the cost of the highway can be paid. As it is done in some other countries, they believe that having specialized V2I communication systems will be an innovative solution to charge all the vehicles. They can make use of some of the communication systems from the platoons to initiate these new technological changes. For example, they know that having V2I communication with the platoon via overhanging structures like the one in Error! Reference source not found. would be very compatible, since the platoon manager would actually provide the information for all the vehicles involved.
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Figure 3: Overhanging toll structure in Germany
Also, having any kind of elevated structures on the highway could improve the internal platoon communication, serving as an additional antenna which the system can rely on in case of low communications. All of these systems will also provide valuable information for the control centres of highway related traffic conditions, environmental hazards, accidents, etc. Another aspect that they had initially thought of was that the highway company could make use of some of their service vehicles to provide the LV service. Since the vehicles are already circulating all day, that could be an additional service they could provide. Nevertheless, they discarded this possibility after the test, since it would have meant more expense rather than benefit for them, especially with a small vehicle. What ABERTIS was very interested in is the outcome of the work to be done in the legislative issues. For them, there is a really big opportunity to increase the traffic flow by modifying the driving and resting times of truck and bus drivers. The road infrastructure is equipped in such a way that the trucks can easily find a rest area whenever they are required, and then they stop. In the case of having a platoon, where one truck can take the lead of a platoon while circulating without needing to stop was a huge prospect. This would mean that a truck could drive for more than 4.5 hours straight, improving the big vehicle traffic flow of the road. This saves time and money for everyone involved, be it the truck driver, the transport company or the road administrators. Each lead vehicle would of course be fitted with a Tachograph to record the speed, distance and time driven for the vehicle. Different cards can be used alongside a tachograph, these could be cards for drivers, the company, workshops or transport
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officers. Error! Reference source not found. shows a Digital tachograph with a tachograph card being inserted.
Figure 4: Digital tachograph
Regarding the maintenance issues, Ricard mentioned that there is no actual requirement, since the road is worn out by every vehicle that passes, without any time input. So, a patch on the road that receives 10 vehicles over it will have the same wear if the cars come by with 10 minute separation or 10 seconds. What also caught their attention was the possibility of improving the flow where there was a construction site and the lanes were reduced. This would provide a quite efficient flow of vehicles along the closed section and hence improve the traffic density of the area. That was the input obtained from the road administrator ABERTIS, focussing more on a V2I communication improvement that will be encouraged by this kind of systems in a future. The modifications to the road are not necessary, and they mentioned that they would be too expensive to be made in any case.
1.1 Additional impacts Some other infrastructure aspects need to be considered for the time when platooning becomes a reality. Although the objective of the project was to develop a system that does not require any modification, and it was achieved, there are several external factors that might need to be modified. These factors are more related to the cases of emergency or hazard that could happen and would require an adapted mitigation mechanism. For example, one element of the road infrastructure that would require a revision is the road side barriers shown in Figure 5. Nowadays, road side barriers are designed in order to support and redirect cars and heavy vehicles back to the road in case of an accident. Nevertheless, these systems were not developed taking into account
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that a multiple impact could occur on the same spot within seconds. In the case of platooning, this could be a new accident scenario that needs to be addressed.
Figure 5: Road side barriers in highway AP-2
From the recent road test experience, there was also a concern on how the toll plazas were to be managed. In the case of the SARTRE test, the toll booths were located on the outside of the highways, meaning that the vehicles went through them already outside of the platoon. This posed no problem for the test and would be a very useful resource for future planning. Indeed, highway administrators in Spain are modifying their toll plazas to acquire this format (off the main road) since it provides smoother flow through the entire road network. However, there are main branches, especially at the exits of the big metropolitan areas that maintain the toll plazas on the main road section. It is for this type of facilities that some modifications might be required. In the case of main road toll plazas, there is a window of opportunity to actually improve the traffic flow by the use of platooning. There are special dedicated lanes for “Via-T” seen in Figure 6 or the Teletac system, which is an automated payment system that uses V2I communication and allows the users to go faster through the toll. The vehicles are equipped with a detectable device that in turn is recognized by a sensor at the top of the toll booth, charging the required amount into the users account and opening the barrier automatically. The vehicle does not need to stop anymore, only to reduce speed.
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Figure 6: Toll plaza with Via-T fast lane.
This system is widely used by transportation companies and fleet owners, and could be a good solution for platoons. Since this is an automated system, and the platoon lead vehicle (and ideally the back office) will have all the information on the following vehicles, the platoon could approach the dedicated lane, be detected as a platoon sending the information on how many cars are coming, and then the barrier would rise and remain open until the last car of the platoon has gone by. This idea would also require some development, especially for OV interactions, but should be considered as potential for platooning. Anyhow, these dedicated lanes are quite narrow and the platoon control, especially laterally, would need to be very precise. Another option is that these lanes are modified accordingly to increase the width and work only for platoons. Still, road administrators are looking for new and less intrusive means of charging for tolls that would undoubtedly make the use of platoons even easier.
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2 IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT One of the most important aspects of the project was to achieve a reduction in fuel consumption that is directly linked to a reduction in the gases emitted to the atmosphere. The analysis of how much pollution can be saved will provide a good basis and support for the legislators to push towards the required policy changes that will allow platooning in the future.
2.1 General Background Nowadays, greenhouse effect gases’ emissions, carbon footprint and other environmentally related topics have become increasingly important issues, especially for the transport industry. For this reason, projects based on sustainability are gaining an increasing interest at a worldwide scale. SARTRE is aware of this, and provides a solution for the medium term that transport needs. During the experimental phase of the SARTRE project, important emission reductions were encountered when taking advantage of the aerodynamic benefits of platooning. The less force the vehicles need to counteract, the less requirement on the engine and therefore in fuel consumption.
2.2 European Union’s Background – European Target The European Union has one of the main focuses on GHG emission reduction. For this reason it has decided to establish a series of target emission values to be accomplished by 2020 and in the second stage by 2050. These targets have the objective of keeping Climate Change below the value of 2ºC independent of the increase in industrial activity with the passing of time. The established targets are as follows:
1. In 2020 partner members from the European Union should have been able to reach a 20% reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions and they should have increased the share of their energy mix which corresponds to renewable energies to 20% (percentages calculated using the values from 1990 as a reference).
2. The target for 2050, however, is much stricter. By then, the European Union
should have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% in comparison to 1990.
At the moment, it seems that, if the current policy evolution is maintained, it will be possible to obtain a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020 but the renewable energy’s share in the energy mix will only increase in half of the amount that had been established by the European Commission’s targets. Therefore, there is still much work to be done in order to reach the expected targets. For this reason, the Member States are trying to increase their sustainability based projects and favour a major consideration towards the environment.
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2.3 Calculation methods All over the world, governments and institutions carry out environmental analyses on their local levels of pollution and then present their results to the local authorities to provide a solution. One of the main actors in pollution themes is transportation, and many efforts are taken to improve the performance. Since every country has their own protocols and institutions, there are several ways of measuring the contaminants that are expelled into the atmosphere. During the next chapter we will analyse some of the most relevant protocols and indexes.
2.3.1 Environmental Agencies In this paper, well-known and highly recognised environmental agencies have been used as sources of information. After carrying out intensive research into this matter, it has been concluded that most of the environmental agencies do not make their numerical data public. This is a great disadvantage, as many of them carry out studies using indexes that seem to be of remarkable interest but that may not be studied in the present paper due to a lack of information from our reference sites. In general, this deliverable contains information about infrastructure and environment. Where environment is concerned, the most frequently consulted references have been:
EEA: European Environment Agency EIA: U.S. Energy Information Administration EPA: U.S. Environmental protection Agency NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – United States
Department of Commerce Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic- Generalitat de Catalunya
It must be said that, even though the present project is at a European level, American sources of information have been used due to their wide availability of information on worldwide environmental issues. Furthermore, the consultation of the Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic, which is a regional environmental agency, has been consulted due to the fact that they have a public carbon dioxide emissions’ calculator which is very useful in this project. Moreover, in this paper it has been decided to use the European Union’s EU Transport in Figures, Statistical Pocketbook 2011 as a reference of the most important transport-related statistics in Europe. In addition, the European Commission’s communication: “A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050” has been consulted in order to know the target emission values in Europe.
2.3.1.1 CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions are the most common environmental indexes at a worldwide level. This value may be, or not, accompanied by other calculations but, in general, it is always included in any environmental impact assessment project.
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2.3.1.1.1 Description Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions (CO2eq ) are those that correspond to an equivalence of the emissions from all of the greenhouse effect gases (according to Kyoto’s protocol), conveniently ranged so as to obtain a unique value of the emissions that are produced by a certain activity or project. The greenhouse effect gases that are considered in this environmental impact indicator are the following: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrogen oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and perfluorocarbos (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Below in Figure 7 is an example of these fumes being exerted from the exhaust system.
Figure 7: Exhaust fumes
2.3.1.1.2 Calculation Method In order to calculate the amount of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions we have used the emission’s calculator from the Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic that has been previously mentioned. The emission calculator that has been used comes with a practical guide in which the emission’s calculation method is detailed. In general terms, this calculator has the capacity to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions that correspond to different type of activities, both personal and industrial ones, according to the activity’s environmental reach/scope (as classified in the explanatory manual). There is one calculation page that is only intended for transportation emissions’ calculations. These are the calculations that will be used in the present paper. The transportation emissions’ calculator calculates the emissions due to transportation using one of the three following variables as a main input: litres of consumed fuel, economical value that is associated to the fuel consumption or car and travel’s characteristics (including: total number of kilometres that have been driven, automobile’s make and model). In general terms, this calculation is carried out using the values of the typical mileage found for cars and trucks and the emission factor values that have been accepted worldwide.1
1 For a more extensive explanation on the emission factors that have been used and on the calculator’s exact calculation method, please consult: the entire manual (See References)
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3 EXAMPLE – CALCULATION OF THE EMISSION REDUCTIONS
It has been decided that the best way to understand the impact that this project could have on the environment is to carry out a numerical example that supplies the reader with realistic values concerning the emission reductions that are achieved in platooning. For this numerical example it has been decided to consider the average travelling characteristics of two cars (diesel and gasoline) and a truck. Therefore, the initial values that have been considered are as follows: Car typical annual mileage: 20,000 km Truck typical annual mileage: 100,000 km After analysing the different fuel consumption reduction values that were obtained during the experimental demonstration, it has been seen that for example, if the vehicles were platooning, at an 8 meter gap, they would approximately save 11% of fuel for a truck and 15% for a car. The relation of CO2eq expelled to the atmosphere is the same, so any percentage of fuel saving shown in Error! Reference source not found. is the same percentage of CO2eq saving.
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Figure 8: Fuel saving results
Since the exact fuel consumption of the vehicles has not been expressed, the CO2eq calculator shown in Error! Reference source not found. has a particular function where only the mileage and type of vehicle is required. The emissions data is then obtained from the Annex of the user guide and is generic for a type of car and engine displacement. The data used is the following:
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Gasoline car, 1.4 – 2 liter displacement, 170.99 g CO2 /km Diesel car, < 2 liter displacement, 157.73 g CO2/km Diesel truck, rigid, 20-26 tons, 617.81 g CO2/km
Distància *3
Factor d'emissió
CO2 *5 Emissions de CO2
km g CO2/km (tones)
20.000,00 171,0 3,41980
20.000,00 157,7 3,15460
100.000,00 617,8 61,78100
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Turisme dieselVehicle 3 CamióVehicle 4
Vehicle 5
4. Mètode: distància recorreguda (si no es disposa de la marca i model)
Mode de transport Descripció Tipus
Turismes, furgonetes, camionetes,
camions, ciclomotors,
motocicletes, autobusos, autocars
Vehicle 1 Turisme gasolina Vehicle 2
Figure 9: Screen shot of the emissions calculator
The results from the table show the average CO2eq emissions per year for each type of vehicle. Now, these results would consider that the vehicle is on a highway 100% of the time, but that is not the case. According to the Department for Transport of the UK in 2009, some of the percentages of distance travelled on the highway (platoon environment) are close to 19% for cars and 42% for trucks as can be seen in Table 1Error! Reference source not found..
Cars and taxis % All goods vehicles %
Motorways 75,2 18,77% 11,2 42,42%
Rural 'A' roads: 111,8 27,90% 9,4 35,61%
Urban 'A' roads: 66,1 16,50% 2,6 9,85%
Minor roads: 147,5 36,81% 3,2 12,12%
All roads 400,7 100,00% 26,4 100,00%
TSGB: Road traffic: by type of vehicle and class of road: 2009
(billion vehicle kilometres) extract
Table 1: Percentage of mileage by type of road
Hence, the vehicles would be travelling as a platoon for the maximum amount of kilometres shown next: Gasoline car: 20000 km * 19%= 3800 km total Diesel car: 20000 km * 19%= 3800 km total
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Diesel Truck: 100000 km * 42%= 42000 km total The results in Figure 10 show the following CO2eq emissions for a yearly highway scenario:
Distància *3
Factor d'emissió
CO2 *5 Emissions de CO2
km g CO2/km (tones)
3.800,00 171,0 0,64976
3.800,00 157,7 0,59937
42.000,00 617,8 25,94802
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4. Mètode: distància recorreguda (si no es disposa de la marca i model)
Mode de transport Descripció Tipus
Turismes, furgonetes, camionetes,
camions, ciclomotors,
motocicletes, autobusos, autocars
Vehicle 1 Turisme gasolina Vehicle 2 Turisme dieselVehicle 3 CamióVehicle 4
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Vehicle 18
Vehicle 19
Vehicle 20 Figure 10: Screen shot of the emissions calculator
Gasoline car: 0.65 tons of CO2eq Diesel car: 0.6 tons of CO2eq Diesel Truck: 25.95 tons of CO2eq. Since the CO2eq reduction is directly related to the fuel consumption savings, then the vehicles would emit the following amount by platooning during the entire highway time: Gasoline car: 0.65 tons of CO2eq - 15% = 0.55 tons of CO2eq = -0.1 ton Diesel car: 0.6 tons of CO2eq - 15% = 0.51 tons of CO2eq = -0.1 ton Diesel Truck: 25.95 tons of CO2eq - 11% = 23.1 tons of CO2eq = - 2.85 ton The total accumulated amount of CO2eq reduced from the 3 vehicles in the example, would be approximately 3 tonnes per year. Considering that there are around 236 million passenger cars and 34 million goods vehicles registered in the EU-27 in the year 2009, the total savings of CO2eq could reach really relevant levels on the way towards the 2020 and 2050 goals.
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4 CONCLUSIONS The previous analyses show that the SARTRE project has achieved a system that can allow platooning without any modification to the road infrastructure, yet, can actually encourage some improvements in the case of V2I and toll systems. Up to now, only the road side barriers can be considered to be not optimized to absorb the impact of a platoon. In this case, the vehicles are the ones considered to be equipped with driver assistance systems that would avoid such a crash scenario. Regarding the environment, the simple exercise made during the project reveals that platooning is indeed an interesting strategy to apply in the mid-term to achieve the objectives set by the European Union for the years 2020 and 2050. The example shows that a truck can save up to 2.8 tons of CO2eq in a single year and a car up to 0.1 tons. But if we consider that there are around 236 million cars and 33 million trucks driving on the EU-27 area, the multiplied amount of CO2eq saving could increase enormously.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The SARTRE project would like to thank ABERTIS Autopistas, for their support in generating this document.
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REFERENCES
1- Generalitat de Catalunya – Oficina Catalana del Canvi Climàtic Guía Práctica para el cálculo de Emisiones de Efecto Invernadero (GEI) Calculadora de GEI para el cálculo 2011_versión 2012 Direct link below
http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/canviclimatic/menuitem.daafef89898de25e9b85ea75b0c0e1a0/?vgnextoid=fdadcf68a97d6210VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=fdadcf68a97d6210VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
2- A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 Communication from the commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
3- Air Quality in Europe – 2011 report (European Environment Agency)
4- EU Transport in Figures – Statistical Pocketbook 2011 (European Commission)
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The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 233683.
Project: 233683 SARTRE Title: Summary of Policies Deliverable No: 5.3 Doc Id: SARTRE_5_003_PU Author: Arturo Dávila Organisation: Applus+ IDIADA Date: 09/01/2013 Revision: 10.0 FINAL Dissemination: PUBLIC
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Revision History Revision Date Author Description 1 11/10/2012 Joshua Gidney Creation and development of the paper
including: inclusion of recommended polices, Vienna convention, other considerations and background information.
2 03/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Change introduction 3 05/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Development, structuration of deliverable 4 10/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Update, development 5 11/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Continued development, restructure 6 12/12/2012 Eric Chan/ Pete
Gilhead Review RICARDO
7 14/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Review 8 17/12/2012 Joshua Gidney Continued development, executive
summary, conclusion and a review. 9 28/12/2012 Arturo Dávila Final revision. Final version. 10 09/01/2013 Arturo Dávila Final check.
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Executive summary The purpose of this paper is to look at the policies and the legislative impact that the Sartre project will have. For platooning to be possible then certain legislations will need to be changed, removed or created. The main issue is that there are strict rules currently in place in order to ensure drivers are concentrating on driving and are in a suitable condition to drive. The developed platooning system uses autonomous driving to allow the driver to use their time more productively. The current policies state that the driver is not allowed to use their mobile phone or eat and drink while in the driving seat of a moving vehicle, this paper aims to look into the possibility of changing these regulations for vehicles in a platoon. Another issue that this project faces is that different countries have different policies, to allow platoons to function on a global scale then the governing laws would need to be altered as well as the regional policies. The easiest way to do this would be to change the Vienna and Geneva conventions as a large majority of countries are bound to these 2 sets of legislations. As both of these conventions are very similar it should be reasonably easy to adjust them in a way to allow platooning. Furthermore after an investigation it was found that there are only around 6 articles in each convention which appear to be relevant to platoons. In the United States of America 3 states have already updated their policies to allow autonomous vehicles in some situations. These vehicles are not available for the public but are being tested by large companies. In terms of platooning this should help to change the policies needed to allow platoons on the road in America. We’ve discussed changing the current legislation, however as with each new technological advancement, there is always a delay between the technology being ready and the legislation allowing the technology to be used. This means that new legislation needs to be created for platoons, these regulations could consider topics to do with liability if there is a crash involving a platoon or the repercussions of abusing the system by altering the hardware or software. To summarise the developed platooning system is functioning and although it still requires further testing and improvements, preparations can start to be made for its deployment. Some of the important preparations are ensuring that all of the required laws and regulations are in place which may prove to be a challenge.
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Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 5 1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 6
1.1 Regulatory law ........................................................................................... 6 1.2 Liabilities .................................................................................................... 7
1.2.1 RACC INSURANCE ............................................................................... 7 2 THE GENEVA AND VIENNA CONVENTIONS ................................................... 9
2.1 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic ................................................. 9 2.1.1 Relevant articles .................................................................................... 9
2.2 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic ................................................. 10 2.2.1 Amendments ........................................................................................ 10 2.2.2 Relevant articles .................................................................................. 10 2.2.3 Possible additions to the Vienna Convention or national regulations .... 11
3 SPANISH GENERAL TRAFFIC DIRECTORATE (DGT, DIRECCION GENERAL DE TRAFICO) ......................................................................................................... 13
3.1 REMARKS ............................................................................................... 18 4 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................ 19
4.1 U.S.A. state requirements ........................................................................ 19 4.2 Driver override ......................................................................................... 20 4.3 Driver surveillance ................................................................................... 20 4.4 System Abuse .......................................................................................... 20
5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 21 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ 22 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 23 Appendices ............................................................................................................. 24 Appendix 1 – Platooning word definitions ................................................................ 24 Appendix 2 – Countries that signed the Geneva Convention ................................... 25 Appendix 3 – Countries that signed the Vienna Convention .................................... 28 List of Figures Figure 1: A representation of what the following vehicles could be doing while in the
platoon. .............................................................................................................. 5
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INTRODUCTION The SARTRE project’s main objective is to create a fully functional road train that can be adopted to unmodified public highways and interact with surrounding traffic. This will encourage a step change in personal transport usage. The project addresses 3 transportation issues: the environment, safety and congestion, while at the same time encourages driver acceptance through an increase in riding comfort. One of the additional objectives of this project is to analyse the current applicable legislation and define modifications that need to take place in order to allow platooning on public roads. This is an activity that may have several solutions, especially due to the international nature of the application and the differences between the participant countries’ traffic rules. Most of the content of the deliverable is based on the analysis of the Vienna Convention and its applications to different regulations of the countries adhered to it. Apart from this, a short analysis of the legislative modifications that have happened in the U.S.A. will be explained. Also, brief discussions on the required modifications and the view point from the General Traffic Directorate of Spain and an insurance company will be given.
Figure 1: A representation of what the following vehicles could be doing while in the platoon.
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1 BACKGROUND In recent years the development of new technology has been far greater than the changes in law and legislation have been able to deal with. This leads to the technology being readily available and having to wait for the legislation to be modified in order to be used. The SARTRE project is a clear example, thus, the project’s objective is to encourage the legislative changes through live demonstration of the designed system rather than becoming a “blocked” project.
1.1 Regulatory law Regulatory law is part of administrative law, as the name suggests it concerns the law regarding regulations as well as procedures created by administrative agencies. Regulatory law also covers the enforcement of such regulations. For platoons to be allowed on public roads, then changes will need to be made to certain regulations, as well as generating new regulations to govern the high levels of automation and the behaviour of the drivers while in the platoon.
Unfortunately, even though there are international; treaties, laws, and regulations, each country has its own set of regulatory laws under application. During our research some countries have stated that platooning is not acceptable in any way. Therefore adjusting the existing laws concerning automation and road traffic would need to address both international legislation, and also national legislation for each individual state The current regulations require that the driver maintains vigilance and is in control of the vehicle at all times. This potentially conflicts with any system that enables or encourages the driver to cease being vigilant (e.g. reading a book) or replaces the driver’s control of the vehicle with automated driving functions. Some cars are now fitted with cruise control which could be argued as a form of automation and some aeroplanes and boats have an autopilot function which is considered as automated and would be similar to some aspects of platoon systems. However, in these cases, the drivers need to remain vigilant whilst the vehicle is in automated mode, and are able to fully override the automated control system at any time (e.g. in a cruise control system the driver can always disable cruise control by applying the brake). As this project’s aim is to allow the drivers of the FVs to use their time to complete other tasks such as reading, working or eating then they will not be alert, thus could be susceptible to certain situations of negligence unless new legislation is created. This would be accentuated if full automation was to be incorporated into future platoons. When speaking of altering the current regulations, it may be helpful to consider three aspects of safety. Firstly that the automated system is no less reliable than a human driver would be in equivalent circumstances. Secondly that the automated system does not introduce any significant new hazards which would not normally be present in manual driving and arise purely in autonomous driving. Thirdly, an automated system may include additional safety benefits which are an improvement over human driving (e.g. reduction in accidents due to drowsiness, or ability to drive the vehicle to a safe state or position if the driver is incapacitated for some reason).
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1.2 Liabilities Liability becomes a much more complex issue when automation is involved. Instead of the liability residing purely with the driver, there is the increased possibility of an accident occurring due to a failure in the automated system which could potentially extend liability to include the designers or manufacturers of the hardware or software components of the automated system. Additionally for a platooning scenario, liability may include the LV driver, since an accident could occur due to decisions made by the LV driver whilst the FV drivers are performing some non-driving activity (reading, etc.) and relying fully on the automated system to maintain position in the platoon safely. One possible approach to addressing the liability related to the autonomous control system is to require that the driver is always able to override the system and regain manual control of the vehicle. However, in some cases, this would require longer reaction times than needed, not allowing the driver to fully distract from the task of driving and therefore negates one of the major selling points of platooning which is the ability to be able to multitask and engage in non-driving activities. If drivers are not required to maintain vigilance at all times then the liability would almost certainly shift to the manufacturers of the autonomous system, whenever an incident occurs while the vehicle is in autonomous mode. Then it would raise the question of what evidence is available to determine whether the incident was caused by another vehicle, the autonomous control system or driver intervention. This could lead to additional sensors, logging equipment (e.g. black box journey recorder) which could provide such evidence. This particular issue has been addressed by the state of Nevada by applying the liability to the person that activated the automated mode.
1.2.1 RACC INSURANCE In order to provide a more precise input on the liabilities within a platoon, we approached the RACC Insurance (Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya). It was important to know the opinion from a car insurance company, since they consider more in-depth situations and conditions. Nevertheless, their input was very much what was already spoken of during workshops and other interviews. The results of this brief contact were:
Liability. - The liability falls on the lead vehicle of the road train.
How a platoon would be insured. - Since all the vehicles are following the lead vehicle autonomously, when driving on a public road and being self-powered, each of the vehicles of the platoon must have civil responsibility insurance.
Requisite from an insurance company. - To insure a platoon, the insurance company would need to know the number of vehicles in the platoon, the characteristics of each vehicle, the route, the type of road, etc. On this basis, the insurance could be calculated for a certain time frame of circulation, which would require input from the Back Office.
Legislative changes. - The insurance companies have not yet considered this within their legal framework, since this project and other similar ones are still under development and do not directly affect their operational scheme.
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Any other changes. - To allow for multiple vehicle platooning with different insurance companies, each of the vehicles within the platoon must make their regular insurance information available for the platoon insurance company, to coordinate the times at which each insurance is in effect.
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2 THE GENEVA AND VIENNA CONVENTIONS
Nowadays, there are two valid treaties within the United Nations framework referring to road traffic, the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention. A number of countries have signed and ratified the Vienna Convention of 1968 and its amendments, being the most recent international road traffic cooperation treaty. Nevertheless, countries that have not ratified the Vienna Convention are still adhered to the Geneva Convention.
2.1 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic The Convention was prepared and opened for signature by the United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport held at Geneva from the 23rd of August to the 19th of September 1949. It was convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations pursuant to resolution 147 B (VII)2 of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and adopted on the 28th of August 1948. The Conference also prepared and opened for signature the Protocol concerning countries or territories at present occupied and the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals it also reached certain other decisions which are recorded in the Final Act of the Conference. This convention would substitute the Paris Convention on Motor Traffic of 1926 and any other past treaties and was required to be put into practice with the fastest diligence as possible. With relevance to platooning, and considering that many countries are still adhered to this convention until they ratify their entry into the Vienna Convention, an analysis was carried out. The result is much simpler than the Vienna convention, since only two articles would limit platooning.
2.1.1 Relevant articles Article 8 1. Every vehicle or combination of vehicles proceeding as a unit shall have a driver. 2. Draught, pack or saddle animals have a driver and cattle shall be accompanied, except in special areas which shall be marked at the points of entry. 3. Convoys of vehicles and animals shall have the number of drivers prescribed by domestic regulations. 4. Convoys shall, if necessary, be divided into sections of moderate length, and be sufficiently spaced out for the convenience of traffic. This provision does not apply to regions where migration of nomads occurs. 5. Drivers shall, at all times. Be able to control their vehicles or guide their animals. When approaching other road users, they shall take such precautions as may be required for the safety of the latter. Article 10 The driver of a vehicle shall at all times have its speed under control and shall drive in a reasonable and prudent manner. He shall slow down or stop -whenever circumstances so require, and particularly when visibility is not good.
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2.2 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic The Convention was prepared and opened for signature by the United Nations Conference on Road Traffic, held at Vienna from the 7th of October to the 8th of November 1968. It was convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations pursuant to resolutions 1129 (XLI) and 1203 (XLII)2 adopted by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations on the 27th of July 1966 and the 26th of May 1967, respectively. The Conference also prepared and opened for signature the Convention on Road Signs and Signals (see chapter XI.B-20) and adopted the Final Act. The aim of this convention was to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety through the adoption of uniform traffic rules. The participating parties included the countries in the United Nations and any party who wanted to adopt this set of uniform traffic rules.1 The convention started off by defining a list of expressions in order for all of the participating parties to have the same general understanding. It also stated obligations to be carried out by the participating parties including ‘Contracting Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure that the rules of the road in force in their territories conform in substance to the provisions of Chapter II of this Convention.’1
The convention then agreed on and defined ‘Rules for the road’. This included rules on: signs and signals, authorized officials, drivers, flocks and herds, carriageway positioning and any other aspect of road use. The vast majority of these rules do not concern platooning at all; the ones that do and will likely need to be changed are analysed in 3.2.2.
2.2.1 Amendments As technology advanced and our understanding of safety techniques grew, new types of vehicles, roads and safety systems were developed, these new developments resulted in certain articles in the convention being outdated and new articles needing to be added. For this reason the Convention was amended in both 1993 and 2006. A brief outline of the changes is shown below. - 3rd September 1993 - Prohibited to install devices on pavements that may obstruct
pedestrians. - Every driver needs a permit - Cyclists or moped riders may be allowed to pass stationary
vehicles or vehicles moving at a low speed. - 28th March 2006 - Cycle lane and track,
- Various driver permits and contracting party regulations
2.2.2 Relevant articles Article 8.1 - ‘Every moving vehicle or combination of vehicles shall have a driver.’ Article 8.5 - ‘Every driver shall at all times be able to control his vehicle or to guide his animals’
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Article 8.6 - ‘A driver of a vehicle shall at all times minimize any activity other than driving. Domestic Legislation should lay down rules on the use of phones by drivers of vehicles. In any case, legislation shall prohibit the use by a driver of a motor vehicle or moped of a hand-held phone while the vehicle is in motion.’ Article 13.1 - ‘Every driver of a vehicle shall in all circumstances have his vehicle under control so as to be able to exercise due and proper care and to be at all times in a position to perform all manoeuvres required of him. He shall, when adjusting the speed of his vehicle, pay constant regard to the circumstances, in particular the lie of the land, the state of the road, the condition and load of his vehicle, the weather conditions and the density of traffic, so as to be able to stop his vehicle within his range of forward vision and short of any foreseeable obstruction. He shall slow down and if necessary stop whenever circumstances so require, and particularly when visibility is not good.’ Article 13.5 - ‘The driver of a vehicle moving behind another vehicle shall keep at a sufficient distance from that other vehicle to avoid collision if the vehicle in front should suddenly slow down or stop.’ Article 13.6 – Outside built-up areas, in order to facilitate overtaking, drivers of vehicles or combinations of vehicles of more than 3,500 kg permissible maximum mass, or of more than 10 m overall length, shall, except when then are overtaking or preparing to overtake, keep at such distance from power-driven vehicles ahead of them that other vehicles overtaking them can without danger move into the space in front of the overtaken vehicle. However, this provision shall not apply in very dense traffic or in circumstances where overtaking is prohibited. In addition:
(a) The competent authorities may exempt certain convoys of vehicles from this
provision, or may similarly make it inapplicable on roads where two lanes are allotted to traffic in the direction concerned;
(b) Contracting Parties and subdivisions thereof may prescribe different figures from those given in this paragraph with respect to the vehicle characteristics concerned.
2.2.3 Possible additions to the Vienna Convention or national regulations
As the technology for road trains is under development and the Vienna convention was last updated in 2006 it currently features no articles on automation. For platooning on public roads to be possible new regulations will need to be created and added to this convention. These need to consider all possible issues that could occur, for instance the lead vehicle drivers will require additional training before being allowed to lead a platoon. To prove that they have obtained the relative knowledge they should be required to complete a test and get an additional driving licence. Another issue could be the drivers of the following vehicles as they would also require slight training regarding how to join and leave the platoon. This could perhaps be given when buying a car with platooning technology and once completed be given a certificate to confirm their ability to join/leave a platoon. Consideration on restraint systems must be considered. Safety systems such as airbags are designed for forward facing occupants. For these systems to still be effective the driver would need to remain in their seat, facing forward with the
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seatbelt on. Therefore there would need to be a policy created stating this, especially as there could be a temptation to recline or face the rear of the vehicle to interact with rear passengers. Also the current regulations do not allow drivers to use their mobile phones while driving, if this is to change as the SARTRE project advertises then a new policy will need to be added. There should also be a policy governing the re-integration of the driver taking control of the vehicle. For instance if the platoon has been driving for a long period of time and the driver was drowsy, then there would need to be a period of time were the driver was reintegrated into the driving process. Finally there should be a policy governing how long a lead vehicle driver can continuously drive for.
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3 SPANISH GENERAL TRAFFIC DIRECTORATE (DGT, DIRECCION GENERAL DE TRÁFICO)
Another input was received on the legislative issues from the Spanish General Traffic Directorate. This input is valuable since it has been received from one of the bodies that would be involved in the actual regulation changes in the future. This interview, like the others, produced similar results; yet, the attention of the participants was very focussed on liability. During the interview, the project was presented to the attendees, since not all of them were up to date with the activities of the project and from then on, the discussion was centred on answering a set of questions provided by the SARTRE consortium. The questions and answers were as follows: 1.- Which law or rule avoids platooning to be made nowadays? In Spain, there are Traffic Regulations and Traffic Laws. In the case of platooning, the following would apply: TRAFFIC LAWS Article 11. General Driver Norms.
1. The drivers should at all moments and conditions be in control of their vehicles. When approaching other road users, they should adopt the necessary precautions for their safety, especially when the other users are children, elderly people, blind people or in general, persons with any disability or mobility problems.
2. The driver of a vehicle is obliged to maintain their freedom of movement, the necessary field of vision and permanent attention to driving, to guarantee their own safety as well as that of the rest of the occupants of the vehicle and the rest of the users of the road. To these effects, care must be taken to maintain an adequate driving position ensuring adequate locations for the rest of the users and any objects or animals being transported, in order for no interferences between the driver and any of them.
3. It is prohibited to drive using headphones or earphones connected to reception equipment or stereos, except during the performance of aptitude tests on an open circuit for obtaining driving permits within the conditions determined by ruling. It is prohibited to utilize mobile telephones and any other means of communication, except when their use does not require the use of hands, headphones, earphones or similar equipment.
Article 20. Safety distance and velocities
1. N/A 2. Every driver that circulates behind another vehicle must keep a distance
that allows him to stop in case of harsh braking, without colliding with the preceding vehicle, having special care for velocity and the conditions of adherence and braking. Nevertheless, it is permitted for the drivers of
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bicycles to circulate in a group, extending their attention in order to avoid collisions amongst them.
3. Apart from the dispositions of the latter point, the separation that a driver must maintain behind another vehicle without signalling the purpose of overtaking, shall be such that it allows another following vehicle to overtake him safely, except if the case is cyclists in a group. All the vehicles with a gross weight over the allowed limit according to ruling and the vehicles or groups of vehicles longer than 10 m of total length, shall keep, for these effects, a minimum separation of 50 meters.
4. What is disposed in the aforementioned section will not apply: a) When inside populated areas b) When overtaking is prohibited c) When there is more than one lane destined to circulation in the
same direction d) When the circulation is so saturated that overtaking is not possible.
Article 65. General traffic violations
1. N/A 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. It is considered a severe traffic violation, when they are not constituted as
a crime, the typified conducts in this law referring to: a) N/A b) N/A c) N/A d) N/A e) N/A f) Drive using headphones, earphones or other equipment that
distracts from the mandatory permanent attention to driving. g) Driving while manually utilizing mobile telephone, navigation
systems or any other communication system. h) N/A i) N/A j) N/A k) N/A l) N/A m) N/A n) N/A o) (ñ) Not maintaining the safety distance with the preceding vehicle.
Article 69. Responsible persons
1. Responsibility for traffic violations as disposed in this law lie directly in the author of the action in which the sanction consists.
ANNEX I. For effects of this law and its complimentary dispositions, it considered:
1. Driver.- person that, with the exceptions of paragraph 2 of section 2 of this article, drives the steering mechanism or is at the controls of a vehicle, or is in charge of an animal or animals. In vehicles that circulate in function of driver learning, the driver is the person that is in charge of the additional controls.
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TRAFFIC REGULATIONS Article 3. Drivers
1. Driving must be conducted with diligence and necessary precautions to avoid any damage, taking care not to endanger; the driver, the rest of the occupants of the vehicle or the rest of the road users. It is strictly prohibited to drive in a negligent or daredevil form.
2. The conducts referred to as negligent driving will be considered as severe violations and the ones referred to as daredevil driving will be considered as very severe violations, according to what is disposed in article 65.4.,) y5.e) from the articulated text on Traffic Laws, Circulation of Motor Vehicles and Road Safety, respectively.
Article 17. Control of the vehicle or animals
The drivers shall be at all times in a condition to control their vehicle(s) or animals. When approaching other road users, they should adopt the necessary precautions for there safety, especially when the other users are children, elder people, blind people or other persons clearly impaired.
Article 18. Other obligations of the driver
1. The driver of a vehicle is obliged to maintain the vehicles freedom of movement, the necessary field of vision and permanent attention to driving, to guarantee their own safety and the safety of the rest of the occupants of the vehicle and the rest of the users of the road. To these effects, care must be taken to maintain an adequate driving position and so the rest of the users, objects or animals can also have adequate locations, so that there are no interferences between the driver and any of them. It is considered incompatible with the mandatory attention to driving the use by the user of a moving vehicle of equipment such as screens with internet access, television monitors and DVD or video players. Exceptions, for these effects, are the use of monitors that are located in the sight of the driver and its utilization is necessary for the viewing of access or egress of pedestrians or for the viewing in vehicles with rear manoeuvring cameras, and also the GPS device.
2. It is prohibited to drive using headphones or earphones connected to reception equipment or stereos, except during the performance of aptitude tests on open circuit for obtaining the driving permits within the conditions determined by ruling. It is prohibited to utilize mobile telephones and any other means of communication, except when their use does not require using the hands or headphones, earphones or similar equipment.
Article 54. Distance between vehicles
1. Every driver that circulates behind another vehicle must keep a distance that allows him to stop in the case of harsh braking, without colliding with the preceding vehicle, having special care for velocity and the conditions of adherence and braking. Nevertheless, it is permitted for the drivers of bicycles to circulate in a group, extending their attention in order to avoid collisions amongst them.
2. Apart from the dispositions of the latter point, the separation that a driver must maintain behind another vehicle without signalling the purpose of overtaking, shall be such that it allows another following vehicle to overtake him safely, except if the case are cyclists in a group. All the vehicles with a gross weight over the allowed limit according to ruling and the vehicles or groups of vehicles longer than 10 m of total length, shall keep, for these effects, a minimum separation of 50 meters.
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3. What is disposed in the aforementioned section will not apply: e) When Inside populated areas f) When overtaking is prohibited g) When there is more than one lane destined to circulation on the
same direction h) When the circulation is so saturated that overtaking is not possible.
2.- Is there a special exception or condition to circulate in a convoy? The Traffic Rules have a special consideration for military convoys, but no kind of automation is considered. 3.- Are these laws applied nationally and/or internationally? These are laws and rules applied only within the Spanish territory. 4.- To change these laws, and adapt them to the SARTRE system, what steps need to be followed? Who makes these modifications? Which legislative body approves such changes? In order to have the legislation modified to allow platooning, it is very important that the initiative is proposed on a European level. This initiative should be presented to the European Union’s Transport Commission and supported by the interested parties. Then, after a European legislation comes into effect, each country’s Department for Transport or Traffic Directorate should modify the relevant law or rule to allow for platooning within the European legislation context. If the initiative is not presented on a European level, there is a high risk that each country will apply their own rules and then, coordinating intra-European platooning will be very difficult to achieve. 5.- What implications does this have on a European level? The initiative should become a European Directive and Homologation. 6.- Should the Vienna Convention be modified? Yes, but first all countries need to ratify this convention. The Vienna Convention is not mandated in all the countries. For example, in Spain, the Vienna Convention is signed, but has not been ratified yet. The Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 is then still applied in Spain. A short analysis of the Geneva Convention is presented, also with the relevant articles for platooning. Nevertheless, the Vienna Convention, since its entry into force on 21 May 1977, in signatory countries ("Contracting Parties") replaces previous road traffic Conventions, notably the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in accordance with Article 48 of the Convention. 7.- Who would be legally responsible (liable) for the convoy? This question has caused a lot of discussion, since platooning provides several conditions that can be applied to the driver. The initial answer is that the driver of each vehicle would be responsible, as he is the driver of that specific vehicle. This is because the laws and rules require that the driver is always capable of controlling the vehicle and attentive to the task of driving
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at all times. Nevertheless, platooning provides the opportunity to use the time in other tasks and leave the attention and control to the system. This contravenes the actual laws and rules (including the Vienna Convention). Hence, while platooning, the responsibility of the entire road train would lie on the lead vehicle driver. Nevertheless, the lead vehicle driver can only be responsible for the actions and situations under his control. For example, the lead vehicle driver cannot be held responsible for any “incidents” that occur behind because of negligence of other driver, etc. This has been the topic that creates more conflict, and in the DGT in Spain, their final answer on liability was that the responsible driver is always the driver of each vehicle. 8.- In case of an accident, would this liability still apply? Yes. 9.- What would be the way to act in case of traffic violations? The author of the violation is responsible. Nevertheless, if the traffic violation is due to a decision of the lead driver then the responsibility changes hands. 10.- What would be the minimum legal requirements for vehicles to be part of a platoon? In Spain, the minimum requirements for platooning involve the Ministry of Industry (Ministerio de Industria) This ministry is in charge of the homologation of vehicles, periodic revisions, etc. and in the case of platooning, would be required to apply minimum requirements for vehicles in road trains. The members of the EEE usually adopt similar requirements. 11.- Regarding the legislation on drivers, what changes need to be made? There is a need to implement special certification and training for lead vehicle drivers, on a European level. For the following vehicle drivers, there is only a need to have an adequate permit for the vehicle. 12.- Can the driving time of the drivers be extended if platooning? This needs to be analysed by another body, the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento) along with the Transport Commission of the European Union. The opinion within the attendees was varied. 13.- Can the lead vehicle switch while circulating (legal basis)? This needs to be analysed by another body, the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento) along with the Transport Commission of the European Union. The opinion within the attendees was varied. 14.- Would there be a special permit or certification for platoon drivers? Yes.
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15.- Is there a special consideration to carry out platooning? It is very important that any legislative action is carried out on a European level. 16.- Which legislative bodies would be involved in generating the necessary modifications? In Spain, there are several bodies that would be involved: Ministry of Industry (Ministerio de Industria).- Everything related to the homologation of vehicles and equipment. Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento).- Everything related to the driver activities. General Traffic Directorate (Dirección General de Tráfico).- Everything related to traffic laws and regulations. 17.- Additional issues or topics? From the meeting, it was discovered that the platoons must be signalized adequately, so that the rest of the traffic can be informed that the set of vehicles in front or behind is a road train, and the pertinent action may be taken prior to overtaking, entering or leaving a highway. The means of signalling could be various, such as special lighting or ads.
3.1 REMARKS After the meeting with the experts on legislation from the Spanish Traffic Directorate, there are several remarks that can be presented regarding the future steps to be taken. One of the remarks is that the approach towards legislative changes must be initiated internationally. This would allow all of the signing countries to apply the same legislation from the beginning. This was noted from the actual experience on the harmonization of European traffic regulations, which, in the end, have different adaptations between countries and make some of the legal actions difficult to solve. If platooning needs to be regulated, it should be made the same for all the countries, without exception. Another interesting concept is that the Spanish Traffic Laws and Regulations are based on the Vienna Convention, the articles that affect platooning being almost a direct copy of it. This means that countries have been making efforts to comply with the harmonized standards, although for some reason their official participation has not been consummated. It was also interesting to find out that the problem within the liabilities of platooning lies exactly on the benefits that platooning could provide to the users, by allowing them to distract their attention from driving for extended periods of time. Extensive work needs to be done in legislating the interaction between leaders and followers, and the possible exemptions of liabilities for certain situations.
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4 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 4.1 U.S.A. state requirements Several states in the U.S.A have initiated laws to legalise autonomous driving. This was first pioneered in Nevada to allow the use of Google’s autonomous driving technology. Several states legislatures have also created bills to set requirements for making autonomous driving legal, although use by the general public is not yet allowed. One of the reasons automation is currently privatised is that it is still being thoroughly tested; another reason is to do with the Liability for manufacturers, which is too high at this stage of the testing. So far, three states have enacted bills for autonomous driving to take place: California, Florida and Nevada. The legislation suffered the following amendments: California.- As amended, defines "autonomous technology," "autonomous vehicle," and "operator"; finds that the state "presently does not prohibit or specifically regulate the operation of autonomous vehicles"; requires rulemaking before 2015; permits current operation under certain conditions; imposes additional oversight on the operation of vehicles without a human in the driver's seat; and requires that the "manufacturer of the autonomous technology installed on a vehicle shall provide a written disclosure to the purchaser of an autonomous vehicle that describes what information is collected by the autonomous technology equipped on the vehicle." The recent amendment struck previous language stating "the intent of the Legislature that current law governing the conversion of vehicles originally manufactured by a third party shall control issues of liability arising from the operation of the autonomous vehicle if that vehicle was converted by an autonomous technology manufacturer." Florida.- As wholly amended, defines "autonomous technology" and "autonomous vehicle," "finds that the state does not prohibit or specifically regulate the testing or operation of autonomous technology in motor vehicles on public roads," specifies that "[a] person who possesses a valid drivers license may operate an autonomous vehicle in autonomous mode," addresses liability of the original manufacturer of a vehicle on which a third party has installed autonomous technology, establishes certain conditions under which an autonomous vehicle may be tested, and directs state DHSMV to prepare specific report for the legislature. Nevada. - Defines "autonomous vehicle" and directs state DMV to adopt rules for license endorsement and for operation, including insurance, safety standards, and testing. Permits the use of handheld wireless communications devices in vehicles that are lawfully operating autonomously The states of Arizona, District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Jersey and Oklahoma are in committee or observation of their laws and their possible modifications to allow autonomous driving. As a remark, the U.S.A. are not adhered to the Vienna Convention, they still work under the Geneva Convention.
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4.2 Driver override Driver override must be possible at any time on both the steering and brakes. This manual steering override should only affect the vehicle you are steering however the manual braking override needs to be reported to the trailing platoon vehicles, so that they can respond appropriately (either just using autonomous control or perhaps combining some measure of driver alert and manual override)
4.3 Driver surveillance In the interest of safety and security, it might be necessary to keep surveillance on the driver while in the vehicle. This would be to ensure the driver of the vehicle is alert and aware of their surroundings. This data may only ever be analysed in the event of a collision, in order to discover if any liability should be assigned to the driver. There would need to be legislation in place to allow surveillance. This could act as a large deterrent for the general public towards platoons. However manufacturers might back the idea as it would allow liability to be placed onto the driver if they were not alert. Surveillance however may only be necessary if drivers are required to remain alert while being autonomously driven or as the SARTRE project defines, doing any other task that is not sleeping. However, if this is the case, then the public interest in platoons may decrease as they may not see much benefit.
4.4 System Abuse Security would need to be considered for various aspects of the system, otherwise it may be possible to introduce hazards maliciously or accidentally by tampering with, e.g. the wireless communication system used by platoon vehicles, the hardware components or the software used to control the vehicles. The wireless communication between vehicles is used to provide data relevant to the autonomous control of each platoon vehicle, such as its trajectory and acceleration/braking activity, so this would need to be encrypted appropriately to avoid the risk of deliberate or accidental corruption of such data. The platooning system also relies upon mechanical parts to physically drive the vehicle. It has become common place for many individuals to modify their cars. If someone decided to modify the platooning system in their car, there would need to be a set of policies to govern the various possibilities arising from this modification. If it was illegal to modify the system in this way then the modification would likely be blamed for an accident whether it was part of the cause or not.
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5 CONCLUSIONS During the SARTRE project it has become apparent that although many countries rely on a different set of laws and regulations to the Vienna or Geneva conventions, these countries still appear to base their traffic laws on these 2 conventions. This makes the task of creating a global platooning legislation slightly easier. However this being said adjusting the existing laws concerning automation and road traffic would need to address both international legislation, and also national legislation to be completely effective. The main adjustments to the Vienna and Geneva conventions are based upon articles concerning each vehicle having a driver, each driver being in control of the vehicle at all times, the gap distance between each vehicle and the maximum length/weight of a vehicle. As a large amount of countries’ traffic laws are connected to these 2 conventions, changing these would be the easiest way to alter these laws. This means that the legislative changes must be initiated internationally in order to achieve a globally recognised set of policies for platoons. As well as the previously mentioned changes it has been realised that new policies would need to be created. These policies are to do with the liability of platoons in the case of an accident. They also concern system abuse, driver override and driver surveillance systems that might be needed if the drivers need to remain aware. The United States of America has already created legislation in 3 of its states concerning autonomous vehicles. In the state of Nevada Google has already started using autonomous vehicles however they are not available for public use. Other states are currently considering alterations to their laws to allow for autonomous vehicles Extensive work needs to be done regarding legislations and policies especially concerning allowing drivers to distract themselves from driving as this appears to be the main issue concerning legislation and platoons. Also, in the interest of safety, it is regarded that the driver should be able to take over the control in a reasonable amount of time.
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6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT): The Spanish Traffic Directorate supplied valuable information regarding the Spanish traffic laws as well as providing the required input on which would be the way to start this work.. Fundación RACC: Answered all of our questions as thoroughly as possible regarding the liability of platoons, topic that has been found to be the most arguable.
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REFERENCES 1 - United Nations (1968). Convention on Road Traffic. Vienna, 8 November 1968. 2 - United Nations (1949). Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva, 19 September 1949. 3 - Ley sobre Tráfico, Circulación de Vehículos a Motor y Seguridad Vial. (http://www.dgt.es/was6/portal/contenidos/documentos/normas_legislacion/ley_trafico/leytrafico002.pdf) 4 - Reglamento General de Circulación. (http://www.dgt.es/was6/portal/contenidos/documentos/normas_legislacion/reglamento_trafico/reglamento_trafico175.pdf) 5 - Stephen S. Wu (June 15, 2011). UNMANNED VEHICLES AND US PRODUCTS LIABILITY LAW. [email protected] 6.- http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/wiki/index.php/Automated_Driving:_Legislative_and_Regulatory_Action 7.- State of the States on the State of the Art; Walker Smith, Bryant; Stanford Law School. 8 – United Nations Organization Treaty Portal http://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?&src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI~B~19&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg3&lang=en 9- United Nations Organization Treaty Portal http://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetailsV.aspx?&src=treaty&mtdsg_no=xi~b~1&chapter=11&Temp=mtdsg5&lang=en
http://www.dgt.es/was6/portal/contenidos/documentos/normas_legislacion/ley_trafico/leytrafico002.pdf
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Appendices
Appendix 1 – Platooning word definitions
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Appendix 2 – Countries that signed the Geneva Convention
Participant 3, 4, 5, 6 Signature
Accession(a), Succession(d),
Ratification
Albania 1 Oct 1969 a
Algeria 16 May 1963 a
Argentina 25 Nov 1960 a
Australia 7 Dec 1954 a
Austria 19 Sep 1949 2 Nov 1955
Bangladesh 6 Dec 1978 a
Barbados 5 Mar 1971 d
Belgium 19 Sep 1949 23 Apr 1954
Benin 5 Dec 1961 d
Botswana 3 Jan 1967 a
Bulgaria 13 Feb 1963 a
Burkina Faso 31 Aug 2009 a
Cambodia 14 Mar 1956 a
Canada 23 Dec 1965 a
Central African Republic 4 Sep 1962 d
Chile 10 Aug 1960 a
Congo 15 May 1962 a
Côte d'Ivoire 8 Dec 1961 d
Cuba 1 Oct 1952 a
Cyprus 6 Jul 1962 d
Czech Republic 7 2 Jun 1993 d
Democratic Republic of the Congo 6 Mar 1961 d
Denmark 19 Sep 1949 3 Feb 1956
Dominican Republic 19 Sep 1949 15 Aug 1957
Ecuador 26 Sep 1962 a
Egypt 19 Sep 1949 28 May 1957
Fiji 31 Oct 1972 d
Finland 24 Sep 1958 a
France 19 Sep 1949 15 Sep 1950
Georgia 23 Jul 1993 a
Ghana 6 Jan 1959 a
Greece 1 Jul 1952 a
Guatemala 10 Jan 1962 a
Haiti 12 Feb 1958 a
Holy See 5 Oct 1953 a
Hungary 30 Jul 1962 a
Iceland 22 Jul 1983 a
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India 19 Sep 1949 9 Mar 1962
Ireland 31 May 1962 a
Israel 19 Sep 1949 6 Jan 1955
Italy 19 Sep 1949 15 Dec 1952
Jamaica 9 Aug 1963 d
Japan 7 Aug 1964 a
Jordan 14 Jan 1960 a
Kyrgyzstan 22 Mar 1994 a
Lao People's Democratic Republic 6 Mar 1959 a
Lebanon 19 Sep 1949 2 Aug 1963
Lesotho 27 Sep 1973 a
Luxembourg 19 Sep 1949 17 Oct 1952
Madagascar 27 Jun 1962 d
Malawi 17 Feb 1965 d
Malaysia 10 Sep 1958 a
Mali 19 Nov 1962 d
Malta 3 Jan 1966 d
Monaco 3 Aug 1951 a
Montenegro 8 23 Oct 2006 d
Morocco 7 Nov 1956 d
Namibia 13 Oct 1993 d
Netherlands 9 19 Sep 1949 19 Sep 1952
New Zealand 10 12 Feb 1958 a
Niger 25 Aug 1961 d
Nigeria 3 Feb 2011 a
Norway 19 Sep 1949 11 Apr 1957
Papua New Guinea 12 Feb 1981 a
Paraguay 18 Oct 1965 a
Peru 9 Jul 1957 a
Philippines 19 Sep 1949 15 Sep 1952
Poland 29 Oct 1958 a
Portugal 28 Dec 1955 a
Republic of Korea 11 14 Jun 1971 d
Romania 26 Jan 1961 a
Russian Federation 17 Aug 1959 a
Rwanda 5 Aug 1964 d
San Marino 19 Mar 1962 a
Senegal 13 Jul 1962 d
Serbia 12 12 Mar 2001 d
Sierra Leone 13 Mar 1962 d
Singapore 29 Nov 1972 d
Slovakia 7 1 Feb 1993 d
South Africa 19 Sep 1949 9 Jul 1952 a
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Spain 13 Feb 1958 a
Sri Lanka 26 Jul 1957 a
Sweden 19 Sep 1949 25 Feb 1952
Switzerland 19 Sep 1949
Syrian Arab Republic 11 Dec 1953 a
Thailand 15 Aug 1962 a
Togo 27 Feb 1962 d
Trinidad and Tobago 8 Jul 1964 a
Tunisia 8 Nov 1957 a
Turkey 17 Jan 1956 a
Uganda 15 Apr 1965 a
United Arab Emirates 10 Jan 2007 a
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland 19 Sep 1949 8 Jul 1957
United States of America 19 Sep 1949 30 Aug 1950
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 11 May 1962 a
Zimbabwe 1 Dec 1998 d
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Appendix 3 – Countries that signed the Vienna Convention
Participant 3 Signature
Accession(a), Succession(d),
Ratification
Albania 29 Jun 2000 a
Armenia 8 Feb 2005 a
Austria 8 Nov 1968 11 Aug 1981
Azerbaijan 3 Jul 2002 a
Bahamas 14 May 1991 a
Bahrain 4 May 1973 a
Belarus 8 Nov 1968 18 Jun 1974
Belgium 8 Nov 1968 16 Nov 1988
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 1 Sep 1993 d
Brazil 8 Nov 1968 29 Oct 1980
Bulgaria 8 Nov 1968 28 Dec 1978
Central African Republic 3 Feb 1988 a
Chile 8 Nov 1968
Costa Rica 8 Nov 1968
Côte d'Ivoire 24 Jul 1985 a
Croatia 4 23 Nov 1992 d
Cuba 30 Sep 1977 a
Czech Republic 5 2 Jun 1993 d
Democratic Republic of the Congo 25 Jul 1977 a
Denmark 6 8 Nov 1968 3 Nov 1986
Ecuador 8 Nov 1968
Estonia 24 Aug 1992 a
Finland 16 Dec 1969 1 Apr 1985
France 8 Nov 1968 9 Dec 1971
Georgia 23 Jul 1993 a
Germany 7, 8 8 Nov 1968 3 Aug 1978
Ghana 22 Aug 1969
Greece 18 Dec 1986 a
Guyana 31 Jan 1973 a
Holy See 8 Nov 1968
Hungary 8 Nov 1968 16 Mar 1976
Indonesia 8 Nov 1968
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 8 Nov 1968 21 May 1976
Israel 8 Nov 1968 11 May 1971
Italy 8 Nov 1968 2 Oct 1996
Kazakhstan 4 Apr 1994 a
Kenya 9 Sep 2009 a
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Kuwait 14 Mar 1980 a
Kyrgyzstan 30 Aug 2006 a
Latvia 19 Oct 1992 a
Liberia 16 Sep 2005 a
Lithuania 20 Nov 1991 a
Luxembourg 8 Nov 1968 25 Nov 1975
Mexico 8 Nov 1968
Monaco 6 Jun 1978 a
Mongolia 19 Dec 1997 a
Montenegro 9 23 Oct 2006 d
Morocco 29 Dec 1982 a
Netherlands 10 8 Nov 2007 a
Niger 11 Jul 1975 a
Norway 23 Dec 1969 1 Apr 1985
Pakistan 19 Mar 1986 a
Peru 6 Oct 2006 a
Philippines 8 Nov 1968 27 Dec 1973
Poland 8 Nov 1968 23 Aug 1984
Portugal 8 Nov 1968 30 Sep 2010
Republic of Korea 11 29 Dec 1969
Republic of Moldova 26 May 1993 a
Romania 8 Nov 1968 9 Dec 1980
Russian Federation 8 Nov 1968 7 Jun 1974
San Marino 8 Nov 1968 20 Jul 1970
Senegal 16 Aug 1972 a
Serbia 4 12 Mar 2001 d
Seychelles 11 Apr 1977 a
Slovakia 5 1 Feb 1993 d
Slovenia 4 6 Jul 1992 d
South Africa 1 Nov 1977 a
Spain 8 Nov 1968
Sweden 8 Nov 1968 25 Jul 1985
Switzerland 8 Nov 1968 11 Dec 1991
Tajikistan 9 Mar 1994 a
Thailand 8 Nov 1968
The former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 4, 12 18 Aug 1993 d
Tunisia 5 Jan 2004 a
Turkmenistan 14 Jun 1993 a
Ukraine 8 Nov 1968 12 Jul 1974
United Arab Emirates 10 Jan 2007 a
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland 8 Nov 1968
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Uruguay 8 Apr 1981 a
Uzbekistan 17 Jan 1995 a
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 8 Nov 1968
Zimbabwe 31 Jul 1981 a
1
PROJECT FINAL REPORT
Grant Agreement number: 233683 Project acronym: SARTRE Project title: SAfe Road TRains for the Environment Funding Scheme: Collaborative project Period covered: From 01/09/2009 to 31/10/2012 Name of the scientific representative of the project's co-ordinator1, Title and Organisation: Mr Paviter S Jootel, Project Manager, Ricardo UK
Tel: +44 1223 223200 Fax: +44 1223 223300 E-mail: [email protected]
Project website address: www.sartre-project.eu
1 Usually the contact person of the coordinator as specified in Art. 8.1. of the Grant Agreement.
2
V1 Template – Ricardo V2 2012-12-03 Eric Chan Input Ricardo V3 2012-12-04 Andreas Ekfjorden Input VTEC – D2.5, D3.1 V4 2012-12-07 Paviter Jootel Input to Ethics Table V5 2012-12-10 Paviter Jootel Update to Ethics Table V6 2012-12-20 Joshua Gidney Input IDIADA – D4.1, D4.3, D5.2, D5.3 V7 2012-12-28 Arturo Dávila Revision and input IDIADA V8 2013-1-10 Mattias Brännström Added D5.1 V9 2013-1-10 Eric Chan Restructure and reformat document.
Added FV system spec. Removed duplicate image in Validation chapter.
V10 2013-1-14 Eric Chan Added exec summary & project context. V11 2013-1-15 Daniel Skarin Formatting, updated dissemination
tables. V12 2013-01-17 Andreas Ekfjorden Added D6.7 exploitation V13 2013-01-17 Linda Wahlström Added Patent in item 15-16, in section
19, Report on societal implication. Added Presentation in section 17, Final Dissemination report.
V14 2013-01-17 Eric Chan Formatting and minor corrections.
3
1 Executive Summary 5
2 Project context 5
3 Use Cases 7
4 Modelling and Analysis of Platooning Strategies 10
5 Preliminary Safety Analysis 13
5.1 Preliminary Hazard Analysis 13
5.2 Safety Requirements 14
6 Analysis of Human Behaviour 14
7 System Specification 15
8 Lead vehicle system specification 18
9 Following vehicle system specification 19
10 Remote system specification and charging system specification 21
11 Updated Functional and System safety analysis 25
11.1 Functional Failure Analysis (FFA) 25
11.2 Safety Requirements Satisfaction Analysis (SRSA) 26
11.3 Safety Measures for the SARTRE Demonstrator 27
12 Validation test plan & results 28
13 Report on fuel consumption 32
14 Report on commercial viability 36
14.1 Customer benefits 37
14.2 Product solutions 37
14.3 Conclusion 38
15 Report on infrastructure and environment 38
16 Summary of the policies recommended to achieve a wider impact. 40
4
17 Final Dissemination report, containing dissemination and exploitation activities 41
18 Exploitation reports 49
19 Report on societal implications 50
5
1 Executive Summary The SARTRE project is a FP7 project which aims to develop strategies and technologies to allow vehicle platoons to operate on normal public highways with significant environmental, safety and comfort benefits. The overall concept of SARTRE is to have a group of vehicles driving together with a lead vehicle, driven normally by a trained professional driver, and several following vehicles driven fully automatically by the system with small longitudinal gaps between them. Driving in this way in a platoon brings benefits in fuel consumption, safety and driver convenience. In addition to investigating the concept, a demonstrator system has been developed consisting of 5 vehicles: a lead truck, a following truck, and 3 following cars. An offboard system has also been developed to allow a potential SARTRE driver to find, and navigate to, a suitable platoon, although this has not been fully integrated into the vehicle system. The project has investigated the human factors aspects of platooning from the point of view of the lead driver, the following drivers, and the other road users. Safety analyses have been carried out on the system considering not only the effects of potential faults, but also the effects of potential misinterpretation by a driver as well as deliberate malicious actions by third parties. The demonstration system has been successfully tested on test tracks and public motorways, and demonstrated to industry stakeholders as well as members of the press. Using these vehicles, the fuel consumption benefits of platooning have been measured. The commercial viability of product offerings based on platooning has been studied, looking at the different range of options for trucks and for cars. The policies which would be affected by platooning of automated vehicles have been outlined.
2 Project context SARTRE is a FP7 project that seeks to support a step change in transport utilization. The project vision is to develop and integrate solutions that allow vehicles to drive in platoons resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption, improvement in safety, and increased driver convenience. The project explores the issues around operating platoons on public motorways and the integration of technologies necessary to achieve this as well as potential charging mechanisms that support the business case. The overall concept of SARTRE is to have a group of vehicles driving together with a lead vehicle, driven normally by a trained professional driver, and several following vehicles driven fully automatically by the system with small longitudinal gaps between them. Driving in this way in a platoon brings benefits in fuel consumption, safety and driver convenience. In addition to investigating the concept, a demonstrator system has been developed consisting of 5 vehicles: a lead truck, a following truck, and 3 following cars. Over the years, a number of other projects have investigated platooning and created prototype demonstrator systems. Some of these have only used trucks, some have only used cars. Often, the vehicles used within the platoon have been of exactly the same type which makes development easier
6
as all the vehicles have the same characteristics. Some have required changes to the road infrastructure or expensive sensors on the vehicles. The SARTRE demonstrator system includes both trucks and cars within the platoon. The cars are all of different types, with different body styles and different engines. The vehicles therefore have a wide range of characteristics, a situation closer to real-world conditions, which provides more of a challenge to the developers. The basic assumptions are that SARTRE platoons will operate on public highways, shared with other non-platoon traffic, and that no changes to the road infrastructure are required. To facilitate the introduction of such systems in the near future, the project maximises the use of existing vehicle technologies. This brings advantages in terms of the availability, cost and robustness of these technologies. In order for such systems to be adopted, they have to be accepted by the drivers (as well as by the wider society) and therefore they must be easy and intuitive to use. The human factors of the system have been investigated, broadly falling into three categories: driver of the lead vehicle, drivers of the following vehicles and drivers of other vehicles on the motorway. As we are looking at operating on public motorways, the issues arising from interactions between platoon vehicles and other non-platoon vehicles on the road need to be investigated. The demonstration system has been developed to accommodate a non-platoon vehicle entering into, and then leaving from, the middle of the platoon. This is the first step to supporting interactions with non-platoon vehicles, but the full range of potential interactions is much broader. For such a system to be commercialised, additional work will be required in this area. In addition to the technical challenges, the project investigates the policies that might be affected by the introduction of such systems on the public road. This not only covers the regulations that would allow the use of such vehicles on the road (e.g. the Vienna Convention), but also the regulations that would enable the greatest gains to be realised from such vehicles (e.g. considering automated driving as ‘resting time’ for truck drivers). The project has organised two workshops where many of the issues around platooning have been discussed with interested stakeholders. The last workshop also included a demonstration of the SARTRE vehicle system. A large media event was also organised where, not only was the system demonstrated, but journalists were able to ‘drive’ the automated vehicles and experience it for themselves. The vehicles travelled at up to 90 km/h with gap sizes down to 6 m. Although there remain technical and regulatory challenges before a commercial implementation of SARTRE can be available, the project has successfully demonstrated platooning technology based to a large extent on existing technologies which can be implemented on existing highways without any additions to the road infrastructure. The project has brought together the skills and expertise of 7 partners from 4 countries: Applus+ IDIADA, Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge Aachen (ika), Ricardo, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Tecnalia, Volvo Cars, Volvo Technology.
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3 Use Cases In SARTRE the functional behaviour is defined by Use Cases. Each Use Case is further specified by a scenario according to a template developed within the SARTRE project. A Use Case is a form of requirement specification that describes an interaction between one or more actors and a system to accomplish a goal. Example actors are persons, vehicles and computers; i.e. an actor is not necessarily a human. In SARTRE, Use Cases are divided into Platoon Use Cases (PUCs) and Back Office Use Cases (BUCs). PUCs relate to the structure of the platoon and its primary operation. BUCs relate to infrastructure issues such as charging, navigating to a platoon, etc. At the highest Use Case level (L1) there is a system that includes both the platoon and the Back Office functionalities. A Use Case scenario consists of a main sequence of actions (the normal, or default case) and zero or more alternative sequences of actions. Two types exist: Alternative and Exception. An Exception could imply that “something has gone wrong”, e.g. a hardware failure. The end state will be different compared to end state of the branch where it emanated from (this could be the Main sequence, an Alternative or another Exception). An Alternative implies an alternative way of reaching the same end state as the branch where it emanated from (this could also be the Main sequence, an Exception or another Alternative). It is necessary to define at the highest level (L1) the overall functional behaviour of the application i.e. what it is expected to do. L2 Use Cases, L3 Use Cases, etc. are then defined wherever needed in order to complement and refine the L1 Use Cases:
Create platoon (PUC) Maintain platoon e.g. when OVs interfere (PUC) Leave platoon (PUC) Join platoon (PUC) Dissolve platoon e.g. at an emergency in order to avoid an accident (PUC) Guide to platoon (BUC) Charge platoon (BUC) Register (BUC) Handle platoon status (BUC)
The following vehicle related notation is used:
FV Following Vehicle LV Lead Vehicle OV Other Vehicle PFV Potential Following Vehicle PLV Potential Lead Vehicle PPV Potential Platoon Vehicle PV Platoon Vehicle
The following Actors are defined:
Vehicle LV, FV, OV, PLV, PFV Driver of LV, FV, OV, PLV, PFV Back Office administrator (BOA)
Figure 1 shows the principal interactions between Actors and Use Cases for platooning UCs.
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System
Createplatoon
Leaveplatoon
Dissolveplatoon
Joinplatoon
LV
FV
OV
PLV
PFV
OVDriver
PLVDriver
PFVDriver
FVDriver
LVDriver
Maintainplatoon
BOA
Figure 1. Overview of system, actors and L1 Use Cases
Figure 2 gives an example of the SARTRE template. The example scenario shows how to create a platoon at the highest level L1 using Back Office (there is also another scenario for creating a platoon without involving Back Office). For simplicity only one Exception branch is shown (there are five others). Notice that there is an accurate identification of Alternatives and Exceptions e.g. M2.E below shows that there is an exception branch from Main Step 2.
Name One PLV and one PFV create a platoon via Back Office. ID PUC.L1.Create_Platoon.1 Revision history V1.0, 2009-11-16, First version for formal review
V1.2, 2010-06-10, SP LS; updated Super-ordinates Not applicable Sub-ordinates None Description This UC is invoked when one PLV and one PFV wish to initiate
a new platoon. The PLV is a Truck/Bus and will be selected as LV since the driver of the PLV has been properly trained. Back Office services are used for identifying the PLV, guidance to it and charging. One PLV and one PFV are involved.
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Environment Road and conditions are suitable for platooning. Goal Creation of a platoon with one PLV and one PFV. Priority level This UC shall be further elaborated Trigger A PPV that would like to be included in a platoon. Risk Emergency situation
Interfering OV(s) PFV not reaching PLV in time
Involved actors One PLV, one PLV driver One PFV, one PFV driver Zero or more OVs, zero or more OV drivers BOA
Start state There is no suitable platoon for the PLV/PFV to join. Main scenario sequence
Step Action: Main scenario
Main 1 PLV driver/PFV driver contacts Back Office to find a PFV/PLV respectively and registers to Back Office,
2 Back Office finds a suitable PLV-PFV match. Back Office gets acceptance from PLV driver for including PFV.
3 The PFV driver accepts offer from Back Office. 4 Back Office gives guidance information to PFV driver to
find PLV. 5 PFV driver requests PLV for inclusion in a platoon. The
distance is still such that safe manual driving is possible. 6 PLV driver/PLV checks if PFV has activated ACC/CC
and in that case turns it off. PFV driver is informed by PLV driver/PLV.
7 PLV driver acknowledge inclusion. PLV becomes an LV and PFV becomes an FV and is thus driven autonomously. Distance between vehicles is optimized
8 LV driver/LV informs Back Office that platoon is created Main End state A new platoon is created with one LV and one FV. Back
Office is informed. Exception M2.E Step No PLV-PFV match is found 1 PLV driver/PFV driver is informed by Back Office that
no match is found. M2.E End state A new platoon is not created. Open issues Comments If not a successful creation of platoon no charging is made for
guidance information. Back Office checks if driver of truck/bus has proper platoon training. If not, he/she is not registered as PLV.
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An emergency situation could occur: when PLV and PFV are far from each other (M2). This situation is the same as separate vehicles (under full manual control). That the platoon may pass toll booth(s) on its way has been included in the agreement for creating the platoon.
Figure 2. Scenario example using the SARTRE template
4 Modelling and Analysis of Platooning Strategies This section describes the analysis of platooning concepts by simulations. For further information see D 2.2. A platooning concept is a set of combined use cases and procedures which describe the complete concept of the platoon including how to join, maintain and dissolve platoons. The concept also defines the boundary conditions including driver vehicle interaction. The analysis is based on the use case high level assumptions and the use case scenarios described in the previous chapter. For this purpose the traffic flow simulation tool PELOPS is utilised. PELOPS (Program for the DEvelopment of LOngitudinal Traffic Processes in System Relevant Environment) is a (sub)-microscopic traffic model and represents a combination of a detailed sub-microscopic vehicle model and a microscopic traffic model. This allows for the analytical investigation of the vehicle longitudinal dynamic behaviour as well as the traffic flow. The advantage of this method is to consider all interactions that take place between the driver, vehicle and traffic. To investigate platooning concepts in PELOPS it is necessary to enhance the PELOPS models as shown in Figure 3. One additional system is the generic HMI manager. It manages the information to and from the driver like requests (e.g. leave, join, etc.), acknowledgements (e.g. dissolve, leave, join, etc), cancel (joining, leaving) or discard joining. Furthermore, the HMI manager computes the platoon status and provides information to the driver and to the platoon control. The platoon manager takes over the longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicles in case of autonomous driving. To consider vehicle properties of the real test vehicles, vehicle models from VCC and VTEC are integrated. At the end an online visualisation is implemented to monitor the traffic simulation during runtime.
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Figure 3: PELOPS simulation environment for platooning Based on the enhanced PELOPS simulation environment different scenarios are simulated. All presented scenarios and results have in common the following assumptions. Deviances or exceptions will clearly be indicated.
Simulations take place on a flat, two lanes road section without curves, road works and slip roads
A platoon cannot exist o on a one lane road o where there are road works o where there are slip roads
The aimed platoon cruise speed is 90 kph FVs shall decelerate in a dissolve manoeuvre to increase gap in order not to exceed legal
speed (for trucks) All trucks have a fully loaded trailer (total weight: 36 tons) The transition from autonomous to manual driving takes place at a distance of 50 m to the
vehicle ahead because this corresponds to the legal minimum distance to a preceding vehicle for trucks/buses driving faster than 50 kph
The data of the distance sensor and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is updated with a frequency of 20 Hz. Errors in accuracy and drop outs are not considered
Actuator time constants (changes in torque, …) are considered in the vehicle model Based on the discussions regarding the ‘Task Force Issues' (this task force deals with open issues concerning the Use Cases) and the corresponding internal working document, a list of questions has been drawn up and analyzed by simulations. The simulations show that all considered leaving and joining use cases are principally feasible and that it is possible to reach string stability for a platoon with up to 10 vehicles. A summary of needed times for different platooning manoeuvres is given in Table 1.
Use Case Variant Duration
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Create/Join from behind
FV is a car, platooning distance of 10 m, PLV 85 kph, PFV follows PLV at a distance of 40 m
37 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m, PLV 85 kph, PFV follows PLV at a distance of 40 m
45 sec.
FV is a car, platooning distance of 5 m, PLV 85 kph, PFV follows PLV at a distance of 40 m
40 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m, PLV 85 kph, PFV follows PLV at a distance of 40 m
48 sec.
Dissolve/leave from behind
FV is a car, platooning distance of 10 m, LV 90 kph
54 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m, LV 90 kph
53 sec.
FV is a car, platooning distance of 5 m, LV 90 kph
55 sec.
FV is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m, LV 90 kph
57 sec.
Join from side
Joining vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 10 m
22 sec. (creation of needed gap + lane change of joining vehicle)
Joining vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m
24 sec. (creation of needed gap + lane change of joining vehicle)
Joining vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 5 m
60 sec. (creation of needed gap + lane change of joining vehicle + restoring cruising distance)
Joining vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m
75 sec. (creation of needed gap + lane change of joining vehicle + restoring cruising distance)
Leave from side
Leaving vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 10 m, LV 85 kph
26 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 10 m, LV 85 kph
32 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a car, platooning distance of 5 m, First increasing to 10 m, than leaving
45 sec.
Leaving vehicle is a truck, platooning distance of 5 m, First increasing to 10 m, than leaving
55 sec.
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Join from front
Platooning distance of 10 m, LV 90 kph, start distance 50 m
47 sec.
Platooning distance of 5 m, start distance 50 m 55 sec.
Leave from front
Platooning distance of 10 m, LV 90 kph 57 sec.
Platooning distance of 5 m, LV 90 kph 60 sec.
Table 1: Comparison of time needed for different variants of Use Cases
5 Preliminary Safety Analysis The Preliminary Safety Analysis (PSA) is targeted at the SARTRE Concept (as opposed to the Demonstrator) and therefore:
includes requirements related to hazards not relevant to the Demonstrator system (e.g. Back Office checks for road-worthiness of vehicles),
is based on assumptions about mass application using commercial equipment on typical public roads under any plausible conditions by large numbers of drivers and, in particular,
does not take credit for risk reduction that can be achieved through limited use in controlled situations and conditions by skilled drivers, with additional safety features such as emergency stop buttons that would not be present in a production system.
It consists of a Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) and a set of Safety Requirements.
5.1 Preliminary Hazard Analysis The PHA identifies potential undesirable system conditions (the hazards, e.g. “Too close distance between vehicles”) that could lead to events with the capacity for harm (e.g. “Collision within platoon”) in particular operational scenarios (e.g. “Maintain platoon”). The PHA does not focus on potential causes of the hazards, since it was conducted at an early stage in the programme, when detailed designs of the SARTRE vehicle systems were not available. Instead, the PHA considers potential conditions derived from systematic analyses of the following:
Possible deviations of attributes of system entities from their intended values (e.g. “Speed (longitudinal)” of Following Vehicle has “A quantitative increase over what was intended”)
Possible variations in the timing or nature of the activation of anticipated top level control functions (e.g. “lack of activation when requested” of “Autonomous control of FV braking”)
The PHA is based on the hazard analysis section of the draft standard ISO 26262, which was developed as an automotive specific version of IEC 61508 which defined a process for designing safety critical electronic and electrical components. The scope of ISO 26262 is limited to single passenger cars and personal harm, and as such does not cover platoons. For hazards that could cause harm to a person but are not consequences of failures in the electrical/electronic systems and as such are not covered by ISO 26262, a different simpler approach will be used to rate them.
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As the purpose of this work package is to identify safety hazards, any hazard that could cause social, environmental and economic harm will be identified but not rated or analysed in this document. The PHA does not consider hazards caused by malicious intent e.g. deliberate attempts to disrupt the system, or malicious actions by the lead driver.
5.2 Safety Requirements The set of system level Safety Requirements were specified based on consideration of a number of different aspects of the SARTRE system. These included a set of safety requirements that was derived from the PHA. The safety requirements identified system functionality intended to avoid the hazards identified by the PHA (e.g. SARTRE_REQ_10023, “Each PFV/PV under longitudinal autonomous control shall ensure a minimum safe distance exists between itself and the vehicle in front” to avoid hazard 123, “FV acceleration more than required, causing collision within platoon” and a number of others). It also contained a number of non-functional requirements related to driver training (e.g. SARTRE_REQ_10042, “The training guide for LV drivers shall cover appropriate action when visibility is poor”). The system requirements, including the safety requirements, were formulated before the vehicles were designed, and formed the basis for design and implementation decisions. They therefore do not assume any particular design or implementation features, and do not take account of any potential for unsafe behaviour that may have emerged as a result of subsequent detailed design decisions (e.g. choice of hardware).
6 Analysis of Human Behaviour To ensure successful implementation of platooning, driver capabilities and limitations were considered. Human factors investigation of driver performance characteristics provided the basis for determining system design configurations and features. Driver and system attributes were assessed during the initial design stage and conceptual phases of the platoon’s system development, thereby ensuring the system usability and acceptance for the widest range of driving population. The main objective was centered in analysing human aspects involved in vehicle platooning. With this objective in mind, human factors issues that come into play when introducing autonomous driving were described. A further objective was to establish requirements for a high-quality HMI development, as a basis for assessing its effectiveness and also addressing safety issues detected in the “Safety Analysis” performed in parallel in WP2. Acceptance level from possible end-users point of view was also assessed and for this purpose, a set of guidelines and recommendations on interaction modes and procedures with the platoon users was stated. Aiming these objectives a theoretical framework about cognitive psychology and human capacity and resources was used as a starting point in the process leading to the design of the required in-vehicle information system for the platoon services, procedures and manoeuvres. Driver reliance in platoon system were identified as a critical psychological factor. For this reason, human factors were considered during platoon systems development, not only from acceptance point of view but from hazards controllability point of view, as well. Safety analysis has shown that the effect resulting from human factors decreases the controllability of risks. Addressing these needs, a human behaviour risk analysis was developed. In order to obtain all risks caused by human factors,
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the most relevant negative human factors were considered and linked to the following external-to-the-driver aspects:
Platooning procedure: rules and actuation protocols regarding platoon use cases in SARTRE project
Other vehicles: i.e. road users who are not part of the platoon, Environmental causes: related to weather conditions, road characteristics, etc. In-vehicle systems: in this case are related to HMI, communications and platoon autonomous
systems, etc. These causes produce hazardous consequences in three fields that were considered accordingly to the main objectives of SARTRE project: safety loss, user advantage loss (related to comfort) and sustainability loss (related to business). Finally mitigation actions for the hazardous situations were given in six categories:
Vehicle: including sensors/actuators, HMI, and communications Drivers: understood as drivers of PLV/LV and PFV/FV Environment: actions derived from hazards related to weather conditions, road
characteristics, etc. Back Office: actions derived from hazards in B.O. normal operation Other Vehicle: including vehicle and driver Platoon procedure: related to the sequence of manoeuvres needed to complete a SARTRE use
case (join, leave, etc.) Requirements related to Human Factors were extracted from Human Factors Hazard Analysis. Requirements were classified considering actors (PLV, LV, PFV, FV, BO, PLV driver, LV driver, PFV driver, FV driver, and “Platoon as a whole”) At the end of the analysis general guidelines or recommendations for interaction modes between driver and vehicle were presented. In order to define the best interaction mode (inputs and outputs), different groups of signals/parameters were given.
7 System Specification The requirements on the system have been derived with several different considerations and aspects that had been performed; the Use Cases, the initial Safety Analysis, the Human Behaviour Analysis and Simulation analysis. This process has ensured that the requirements cover all aspects of the system and of the usage. A functional architecture was developed for the SARTRE platooning system. The functional blocks in the architecture were defined with functions and necessary input signals as well as output signals. The hardware architecture with sensors, actuators and processing units has been developed. Hardware allocation was completed and all functional blocks in the functional architecture has been assigned to specific hardware units. Use cases and requirements to be covered by the implementation has been identified and listed. It is however important to point out that the work concerning the hardware architecture, functional architecture and use cases to be covered has been on a conceptual basis. Consequently, the work
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regarding these will continue in the Implementation work package and some minor adjustments was made after the experience of developing platooning system.
Figure 4 Hardware architecture of the FV / PFV.
Figure 4 shows the proposed hardware architecture of the Following vehicles. The Lead vehicle architecture is identical but lacking the actuator control elements. The sections on Lead vehicle system specification and Following vehicle system specification contain the actual implemented HW architectures.
Steering wheel
actuator
Haptic seat Display Audio Keyboard
V 2 I Antenna
GPS
SARTRE CAN
V 2 V Antenna
FV V 2 V PC FV HMI PC FV Platoon System RCP FV V 2 I PC
Braking system
actuators Power train
actuators Front
looking sensors
Side looking sensors
Rear looking sensors
FV Vehicle System RCP
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Figure 5 Functional architecture. Figure 5 describes the proposed functional architecture of the SARTRE with software elements and information flow.
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8 Lead vehicle system specification The Lead vehicle is a Volvo FH rigid truck.
Figure 6: The Lead vehicle Existing components in the truck are used to the largest possible extent. Signals that are received from the truck are collected by the J1939 CAN networks in the truck. Radar data is collected from the ACC system, and the truck has driver monitoring and lane departure systems installed. The Tachograph and the Alcolock are also used to demonstrate the safety of the lead driver.
Figure 7: Layout of hardware components and data communication in the lead truck
The layout shown in Figure 7 is almost identical to the layout in the following vehicles. The main difference is that there are no actuator control on steering, braking and acceleration.
Driver Monitoring
Camera
rCub
e
SARTRE CAN
J1939-1
J1939-8J1939-7
J1939-6
J1939-5J1939-4J1939-3J1939-2
J170
8-1
J170
8-2
J170
8-3
J170
8-4
J170
8-5
J170
8-6
Can Acess and
Power Supply LLC
Car PC -HMI-OA
SARTRE CAN FrontCamera
GPS V2I
Antenna
GPS Receiver
ALIX 3D3V2V PC
V2V
A
nten
na
CameraECU
Tacho-meter
Alco Lock
7" TFT Touch Screen
Sensor CAN
Side Looking Sensor
(SLS) Left
Side Looking Sensor
(SRR) Right
Radar CANCamera CAN
FUS
ION
Box
/ PIP
11X
-PC
Can
1C
an 2
Can
3C
an 4
Can
5C
an 6
Long Range Radar
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All components are integrated in the vehicle. The visible components that differ from a production truck are the HMI touch display installed in on dashboard and the two antennas on the top of the cab.
9 Following vehicle system specification Four following vehicles were used: 1 Volvo FH rigid truck and 3 Volvo cars of different types (S60, V60, XC60).
Figure 8: Examples of Following vehicles Existing, production, components in the vehicles are used as much as possible. Some of the software in the existing systems, e.g. the ACC system, has been modified to enable the additional control required. A number of new ECUs have been installed for the new SARTRE control software. Schematics of the installed system are shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10.
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Figure 9: IO Schematic for Following Cars
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Figure 10: IO Schematic for the Following Truck
10 Remote system specification and charging system specification This section provides a specification of the remote system. For further information see D 3.3. The remote system should guide a following vehicle to the nearest road train with a suitable destination. It consists of an infrastructure unit – the Back Office (BO) and an onboard system in the LV/PLV and the FV/PFV – the Organisation Assistant (OA) and the Human Machine Interface (HMI). With the support of the infrastructure unit the Back Office Administrator (BOA) can provide services to the LV/PLV/FV/PFV regarding registration and guidance. In order to support the BOA and to provide the PV/PPV drivers the defined services, different hardware components are used. Figure 11 shows the hardware architecture of the remote system including BO and OA/HMI. The BO consists of a server and a GSM/UTMS antenna. The OA/HMI hardware components include a Car-PC, a GPS receiver, a GSM/UMTS antenna, a TFT touch-screen and a USB-CAN-adaptor. Using the GSM/UTMS antenna, the BO and the OA can communicate via V2I communication interface. The OA is connected to the SARTRE CAN-Bus via the USB-CAN-adaptor, in order to communicate with other SARTRE functional blocks. For the dialog between OA and driver, the touch screen is used as HMI.
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Figure 11: Hardware architecture of the remote system Figure 12 shows the software architecture of the Back Office. The V2I interface is responsible for the communication between Back Office and the vehicle onboard system (OA/HMI). The received data will be managed by the Global Data Manager. These are for example
position and destination of all registered vehicles and platoons, status of all registered vehicles (PPV/FV/LV), status of all platoons, driven km of a LV/FV in a platoon,
Using a digital map the BO can find the best suitable platoon/LV for the PFV according to the destination and current position of the platoon/PLV/PFV.
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Figure 12: BO software architecture
B/OA results Several tests were performed to prove the functionalities of the BO and OA. In this section only a few tests and results will be presented. For further information see D 3.6. One of the performed tests was to prove the basic function of routing in OA. A calculated route from Aachen to Berlin is shown on the left side of Figure 13 and the screen for navigation instructions is shown on the right side of this figure.
Figure 13: Routing an Navigation in OA
Another test was to prove the platoon monitoring function in the BO GUI and the calculation of a meeting point for a PFV with the best suitable platoon. Figure 14 shows a screenshot of the BO GUI. As shown in the figure the BO is able to monitor platoons and to calculate a meeting point. Further tests showed that the BO is also able to update the meeting point based on different velocities of the vehicles.
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Figure 14: Meeting point and platoon monitoring in BO GUI
As shown in Figure 11 the BO communicates with the vehicle systems via GSM/UMTS. To test, if these communication standards are reliable enough to ensure the BO functionalities, several test on a 26,6 kilometre long track combined by highway and urban area were performed in Aachen. The OA was integrated on a test vehicle of ika and communicated via 3G with the BO, which was running on a server. A GPS receiver was connected to the OA. During the tests, the OA is reading the current GPS position and show this on the integrated digital map. At the same time the position is converted into UTM format and sent via 3G to the BO with a time stamp. After receiving the GPS position and the time stamp, the BO sent exactly the same information back to the OA. By comparing the time stamp of the sent and received messages information regarding message lost and latency can be obtained. Figure 15 shows the results of V2I latency tests on different daytimes. Due to higher traffic density on the road between 18:40 and 19:30, the latency is higher on the whole track in comparison with the test between 15:00 and 16:00. Since the communication between OA and BO is not relevant to safety the higher latency is still not critical.
Figure 15: V2I latency tests on different daytimes. On the left side between 15:00 and 16:00
and on the right side between 18:40 and 19:30 A second test investigated the message lost percentage. The OA sends the current GPS position to BO and the BO counts the number of the received messages and sends this back to OA. The tests showed that over 99 % of the messages are sent and received correctly.
meeting point
5627500
5628000
5628500
5629000
5629500
5630000
5630500
5631000
5631500
5632000
5632500
291000 292000 293000 294000 295000 296000 297000 298000 299000 300000 301000 302000
GPS
y-c
oord
inat
es [m
]
GPS x-coordinates [m]
latency < 200 ms
latency < 250 ms
latency < 300 ms
latency < 400 ms
latency < 500 ms
latency > 500 ms
5627500
5628000
5628500
5629000
5629500
5630000
5630500
5631000
5631500
5632000
5632500
291000 292000 293000 294000 295000 296000 297000 298000 299000 300000 301000 302000
GPS
y-c
oord
inat
es [m
]
GPS x-coordinates [m]
latency < 200 ms
latency < 250 ms
latency < 300 ms
latency < 400 ms
latency < 500 ms
latency > 500 ms
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11 Updated Functional and System safety analysis The Updated Functional and System Safety Analysis builds on the Preliminary Safety Analysis but concentrates on the Demonstrator system (as opposed to the SARTRE Concept) and aims to:
Identify the potential effects on a SARTRE platoon and/or SARTRE vehicles of failure conditions within vehicle components.
Identify additional mitigations to be put in place to enhance safety. Ensure that previously identified safety requirements are capable of being satisfied.
The analysis is targeted at the safety of SARTRE tests and demonstrations on test tracks and/or public roads. It is based on the design and properties of the SARTRE Demonstrator vehicles at a point in the implementation process where the hardware and software designs are relatively mature but where changes are nevertheless feasible. The analysis takes into account the defined pre-conditions and expected circumstances associated with the Demonstrator. Safety is judged in terms of potential for harm to individuals. The analysis is a systematic inductive analysis that considers potential causes of unwanted vehicle and/or system behaviour during operation. Operation includes (a) platooning during tests or demonstrations and (b) other use of modified vehicles on test tracks or roads (e.g. manual driving as a PPV). The analysis is based on consideration of the functions provided by vehicle components and of their potential malfunctions (failure conditions). It uses key-words to prompt methodical consideration of the potential malfunctions and their possible effects. SARTRE vehicle drivers are also subjected to analysis, in order to consider potential operator errors. Mitigation measures that are already planned at the time of the analysis are identified for malfunctions with the potential for harm, and further mitigation measures are specified where considered appropriate. The satisfaction of relevant system level safety requirements is assessed. The SARTRE updated functional and system safety analysis is based on a Functional Failure Analysis (FFA). The Demonstrator system, assuming the implementation of this set of mitigations, was then assessed for compliance with the previously identified safety requirements (the Safety Requirements Satisfaction Analysis, SRSA) and, where appropriate, further mitigations were identified.
11.1 Functional Failure Analysis (FFA) Functional Failure Analysis (FFA) is a generic term for a class of safety analysis techniques based on the examination of the potential effects of incorrect provision of functions by a system or by components of a system. The method used here is similar to the Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA) technique used widely in the civil aerospace industry. It is a form of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). It shares some similarities with function-based component-level Design FMEAs typically performed in the automotive industry but differs in a number of respects:
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Component Z
Component Y
Component X
ResultsFFAFunctions
Guide Words
Template
Components
Mitigation list - initial
Figure 16. Functional Failure Analysis (FFA) process The mitigations identified during the Functional Failure Analysis fall into three categories: operational constraints, vehicle system features / functions, and driver training / capability.
11.2 Safety Requirements Satisfaction Analysis (SRSA) To ensure adequate implementation of the system safety requirements in the Demonstrator vehicles, a Safety Requirements Satisfaction Analysis (SRSA) was performed. This analysis systematically considered each of the relevant system safety requirements and assessed compliance based on the FFA. Where appropriate, further mitigations were identified to ensure satisfaction of the safety requirement. Since the safety requirements were based on the SARTRE Concept system, differences between the Concept and the Demonstrator were taken into account during the analysis. New mitigations added during the SRSA are included in the FFA.
ResultsSRSA
Safety require-ments
Components & Functions
(from FFA)
Mitigation list –
updated
Mitigation list – initial (from FFA)
Figure 17. Safety Requirements Satisfaction Analysis (SRSA) process
Together with the FFA, this activity ensures that the SARTRE Demonstrator vehicles and their operation feature safety measures based on (a) top-down consideration of the potential hazards posed by the system, irrespective of its implementation, and also (b) consideration of the threats posed by potential failures of system components, i.e. taking account of the implications of implementation decisions.
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11.3 Safety Measures for the SARTRE Demonstrator Safety of the SARTRE Demonstrator system will be ensured through a combination of the following measures:
Features within the vehicles to limit the effects of potentially hazardous failures or events Examples:
o Platoon dissolve (and/or platooning disabled) on sustained loss of, corruption of or low confidence in data needed for accurate autonomous control of vehicles
o Limits on steering angle (angle of road wheels) that can be requested by the vehicle control system of the power steering system
o Base vehicle collision avoidance system (independent from SARTRE system components)
o Functionality to tolerate (limited) interference by non-platoon vehicles (target tracking and gap adjustment for single intervening Other Vehicle)
Features within the vehicles to allow driver intervention in cases of unwanted behaviour Examples:
o Emergency stop button (on activation, platoon-specific control units are deactivated – vehicle reverts to normal longitudinal control with unassisted steering)
o Driver application of brake pedal deactivates autonomous longitudinal control (as per base vehicle cruise control)
o Driver application of accelerator pedal overrides autonomous longitudinal control (as per base vehicle cruise control)
o Limits on force applied by power steering system to achieve autonomous control (readily overcome by driver application of force via handwheel)
Capability of drivers Examples:
o Only trained drivers permitted to drive Lead Vehicles or to operate Following Vehicles autonomously
o No secondary activities permitted by drivers during autonomous operation – constant monitoring to ensure situational awareness and ability to regain control of vehicle promptly
o Training on system fault reactions & warnings and recommended driver responses o Training on recommended driver responses to reasonably foreseeable external
events/conditions Operational constraints to limit use to scenarios with acceptable safety margins and to ensure
that other safety measures are effective Examples:
o Use of escort vehicles to alert public vehicles and deter from interference o No demonstrations (autonomous control on public roads) in conditions under which
system capability has not been tested (e.g. extreme weather conditions) o Selection of demonstration route to avoid features for which no Use Cases have been
implemented (e.g. tolls), that may compromise availability/quality of data (e.g. tunnels) and/or under which system capability has not been tested (e.g. hills)
o Pre-demonstration inspection of demonstration route for unexpected conditions The analysis methods used were complementary. They gave rise to a complete set of safety measures through a combination of:
Top-down consideration of the potential hazards associated with the intended properties of the SARTRE system (independently from any detailed design of the SARTRE vehicles)
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Bottom-up consideration of the potential effects of failures of new components within the SARTRE system (taking into account the design of the SARTRE vehicles and, therefore, the implications of design decisions made during implementation)
12 Validation test plan & results The SARTRE platoon system has been designed using pre-existing and market available systems. These were then coordinated and programmed to achieve the automated driving function that allows platooning on unmodified roads together with normal traffic. The following elements comprise the system:
Sensor Fusion.- measures the environment around the vehicles and compiles the information. Actuator control.- For longitudinal control, steering and turn indicators. Platoon manager.- Coordinates the entire platoon. V2V communication.- Allows transfer of information between vehicles. Organizational assistant.- Interface between the HMI, BO and other subsystems. HMI.- Graphical User Interface (GUI), Acoustic User Interface (AUI) and a driver seat with
haptic warnings. Back Office.- Supports the Back Office Administrator to offer the driver different services
and to monitor the platoon status. WP4 is the phase of the project where all the final testing activities took place. All the sub-systems, developed by each partner, had previously been tested individually and integrated during WP3. The validation of the on-vehicle systems focused on the systems implemented in the vehicles to make sure there was correct functionality and performance of the implemented platoon system. It involved both validation of a platoon with 3 cars behind a lead vehicle and also validation with the following truck included with the 3 cars. The on-vehicle system was tested as a black box from an end-user perspective, i.e. focus was on the system output exposed to a driver. This was done by using both the WP3 Sign Off test cases as well as the relevant SARTRE uses cases. The behaviour of platooning is described by use cases. The SARTRE use cases can be divided into create/join a platoon, maintain a platoon and leave/dissolve a platoon. A use case consists of a main sequence of actions (the normal, or default case) and zero or more alternative or exceptional sequences of actions, where the exceptional sequence may imply that “something has gone wrong”, e.g. a hardware failure or a misuse of the system. In addition to the demonstrator use cases, the WP3 Sign Off test cases will be used to validate the performance of the platoon; these are the WP4 On-vehicle system test cases. Remote systems are those elements that perform some activity related to platooning but are not installed on any of the vehicles. In the developed platoon system this element is the Back Office. It is installed on a computer outside the vehicles and connected to all possible platoon members via 3G. Its communication partner on the platoon vehicle is the Organization Assistant. Testing will focus on the basic functionalities and the communication between OA and BO. This includes a validation of the usability of the Organisation Assistant as well as the robustness of the simple application in different traffic and other boundary conditions (weather, misuse, lack of communication)
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The process adopted in SARTRE for user acceptance validation was based on a standard framework. It consisted of a well-known and frequently used methodology for the development and realization of ITS systems referred to as the V-model. One of the most important benefits of having used the V-model is that the validation activities were identified and specified from the beginning. It also ensured a direct connection between the success criteria, the definition and operation of the tests, and the assessment of the impact. The ‘route’ of a V-model shown in Figure 18 starts at the top left-hand side of the ‘V’, passes the bottom and then continues up the right-hand side. As shown in the figure, in SARTRE project the validation is performed in WP4 and is divided into two stages: definition stage and operation and analysis stage. Following the validation, an impact analysis stage exists that takes place in WP5.
Figure 18. SARTRE Validation V-model
Definition stage The definition phase established the user acceptance validation objectives, applications to be tested and test sites where these applications would be tested (and the vehicle demonstrators, roadside equipment and communication equipment that needed for the tests). The selected methods for obtaining the data (driving simulation studies and driving tests) determined these test sites: Tecnalia´s driving simulator in the Basque Country and Idiada tracks in Catalonia, both of them in Spain. Operation & analysis stage During this phase, the measurements required to evaluate the PIs were acquired mainly through driving simulation studies, logged and post-processed. After analyzing the information collected and stored during the data acquisition and the logging phase, the evaluation of the hypothesis was carried out, in order to conclude this validation phase. The most important part of the operation and analysis stage was this last step, i.e. the hypothesis evaluation, since here was where the success criteria were evaluated to prove if the objectives had been achieved Results Based on participants opinions, it is possible to state that the SARTRE Human Machine Interface has achieved right values for usefulness and satisfying level indictors. Regarding the UL all modes achieved the success criteria (60%) except the UL of acoustic interaction, maybe due to the language.
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The ease of use level was reached, as well as perceived safety, where almost 60% of drivers trusted the system. In addition, the drivers experimented workload during the test but 65.5% of participants answered that the HMI helped them to not have workload. It was also concluded that usefulness had a positively influence in the behavioural intention to use this platoon system. However, taking into account the perceived safety, it cannot be stated that safety feeling of drivers had a positively influence in the intention of use. A number of demonstrations to stakeholders and the media were conducted throughout the entire project. Each demonstration showcased different stages of the development of the system, and the input obtained from them was valuable for the continuous development carried out afterwards. The relevance of these demonstration sessions was high, since people that did not participate in the development of the system were able to witness platooning in real life and evaluate it from an external point of view. Moreover, the system had to perform exactly how it was designed. It is for this reason that the demonstration sessions are considered within the validation of the system, where the basic manoeuvres and functionality of the system were tested. The list of demonstrations includes: 1. First SARTRE workshop, 10-11 Oct 2011 2. Euronews session, 8-9 Feb 2012 3. IDIADA internal demonstration, 25 May 2012 4. Second SARTRE Workshop, 11-12 Sep 2012 5. SARTRE Media event, 13-16 Sep 2012 All of these demonstrations were carried out in closed test tracks and under controlled conditions. 4 of these sessions happened at Hällered test track, near Gothenburg and one on IDIADA’s facilities, near Barcelona.
Figure 19 - Screen shot of the Euronews review
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Figure 20 - Volvo’s Erik Coelingh being interviewed by a platooning driver
One of the most important activities within the project was to bring the developed platoon into an open road, with real traffic conditions. To achieve this, in the early stages of the project IDIADA coordinated with ABERTIS Autopistas, a road administrator company that manages the highways surrounding IDIADA’s facilities to perform this test. The project was presented to ABERTIS in several stages of development so that they would be informed on what the behaviour of the platoon was and were able to participate in the coordination of the test.
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Figure 21 - View from the V60 during public road test
13 Report on fuel consumption Work package 4 has been defined as the validation phase of the project. This work task performed the end to end system evaluation. The present document contains the results obtained from the work done in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aerodynamic simulation which an example of can be seen in Figure 22 and the fuel consumption tests at the track. All of these involved the fully functional platoon.
Figure 22 - An example of the CFD aerodynamic simulation
Computational Fluid Dynamics, or CFD, provides virtual aerodynamics simulations through the application of mathematical equations that represent a flow. The main advantage of CFD for simulating trains of vehicles is the feasibility of adding vehicles with no limitation on the overall size
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of the convoy, although this did turn out to be quite a unique challenge. By means of scripting, a pre-processing methodology may be applied in order to automatically prepare different combinations of train vehicles so that the calculus could run through all the selected gaps automatically. Among the major challenges of such CFD simulations are the robustness of the code and the capability to automatize big sets of calculations. The generation of a script is imperative in order to optimize a CFD methodology that can easily configure and simulate many combinations of vehicles in road trains. OpenFoam is an open source CFD code that can be easily edited and modified. It is based on a hierarchy of folders and subfolders in which different dictionaries and libraries are strategically located. Every library and dictionary is a text file that defines all computational and physical parameters. Many road train combinations are possible as both; separation distances and combinations of vehicles can be altered. All of the variables could be included in one complete algorithm that automatically simulates ALL combinations of vehicles and distances. Due to OpenFoam’s open source nature, scripts that combine many OpenFoam tools can be easily generated.
Once all variables have been introduced by the user via an input file or via the interactive mode, the script then generates all dictionaries and libraries that are needed to launch an OpenFoam case and organize them in their specific directories. Then, once the geometry has been generated, it is saved in its specific folders. The next stage of pre-processing is mesh generation by definition, improving the resolution of a mesh improves the accuracy of a calculation, since equations are computed at more points which define the solution. However, the higher the resolution, the higher the computational cost. An efficient resolution is that which gives a good accuracy without compromising the computational cost. Different resolutions have been tested for the mesh study and the need of having a VERY FINE mesh was obvious, since one cannot ensure that coarser meshes will give similar results. Then after a lot of testing the mesh designs were completed and working at a high enough standard.
Figure 23 –A render of the simulation
Once mesh resolution has been chosen and the final simulations of the train vehicles have been run it is time to review the results. The following gaps between vehicles have been tested; 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 15 meters, the second truck geometry keeps on having unstable results, probably due to the nature of the large wake in front and to its large size compared to the rest of cars behind it. Apart from the leading truck, as a general rule, the further away from the large wake of the trucks, the more stable the numerical solution is. In a general case a gap of 3 or 4 meters is not the best solution since there is too much instability. A distance of 6 or 8 meters seems the most optimized solution in terms of drag.
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CFD simulations have demonstrated that road trains reduce drag of each component, even the leading car. The following truck may have drag benefits of around 40% and 50%, and for the rest of following cars Cx reductions rise up to 60%-75%. The gap distance of the vehicles do have an effect in drag reduction; however, slight gap differences do not involve large changes. All CFD simulations described involve the supposition that all vehicles are perfectly aligned in the x-direction. Correlation proved that this is not true.
Figure 24 – %Cx Reduction with varying gap size.
for real-life tests, the following vehicle was displaced in the y-direction for values of 0.2, 0.6, and 1 meter. Simulations have been run and the leading vehicle showed very little effect on lateral offset. The second truck was almost unaffected by the 0.2 meter offset, and instabilities even reduced drag slightly (4%). The 0.6-meter offset generated an increase of Cx of almost 10%, while the 1-meter offset increased drag by almost 23%. CFD results showed that if a road train has lateral offset errors up to 0.2 meters, the drag is almost unaffected. The tests performed at the IDIADA High Speed Track consisted of stable speed platooning at 85 km/h Different gaps were used during the tests, ranging from 5 to 15 meters between vehicles. A series of reference tests were also carried out along with the platooning tests to have a value to compare with. All the data was collected directly from the vehicles. In order to obtain the valuable data for the project, the platooning tests were carried out following procedure and latterly compared.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
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80%
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3 4 6 8 10 15
% C
x R
ed
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ion
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% Cx Reduction
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Figure 25 – Platoon under testing at IDIADA.
It was necessary to measure the fuel consumption individually for each vehicle in order to compare it with the fuel consumption while platooning. During the test trial weeks, special procedures were adopted to prepare the vehicles, carry out the tests and in the end obtain the required data for analysis. The distances tested for the full platoon system were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15 meters a 2 truck platoon was also tested at 20 and 25 meters gap. Measurements of the fuel consumption are not available for cars at gap sizes of 7 m and below. The reason for this is that an analysis of the results showed that an internal safety function in the cars triggered a pre-charging of the brakes while driving at such close distances. This pre-charging affected the fuel consumption and hence the measurements are excluded from the graphs. The results show that there is an important decrease in fuel consumption when platooning at shorter distances. This behaviour follows a similar trend to what has been previously researched and also similar to that of the simulation results.
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Figure 26 - Fuel consumption results.
In conclusion this report set out to validate the developed end to end system and comment on the fuel consumption of the vehicles in the system. It did this by carrying out aerodynamic simulations of the entire platoon to create an estimated fuel consumption. This was done using an Openfoam CFD simulation and the results were quite promising. The gap in between the vehicles was altered and the behaviour of the air between the cars was interesting to analyse as it showed that the optimum distance was 6m – 8m and not 3m or 4m. Track tests were then made to analyse the actual fuel consumption. At a gap of 8m all of the vehicles achieve fuel savings from 7 to 15%. All of the results from this work package show that platooning provides significant potential improvements for the efficient use of fuel.
14 Report on commercial viability From a commercial viability perspective, road trains are initially attractive mainly to long haul truck companies, which can profit from reduced fuel consumption both on small and large scale. The reduced fuel consumption can lead to large savings in the cost of transportation and a decreased CO2 footprint. Road trains for trucks may later open up a market for long distance commuters who can join existing road trains led by professional drivers. The potential benefit for introducing road trains to a broader market is substantial, e.g., in terms of increased road capacity, decreased CO2 footprint, increased work efficiency and comfort. However, for practical reasons highlighted in this report, for passenger vehicles, road trains will mainly be attractive to long distance commuters in areas where there are plenty of road trains for commercial vehicles. The main challenge that has to be overcome to reach a high market penetration for passenger cars is to encourage customers to buy vehicles capable of platooning before there are large numbers of lead vehicles available, and to encourage the professional drivers to take the additional licenses to lead a road train. Additionally, the end users need to gain trust in that licensed drivers are trained to drive safely. To accomplish this, engagement from governments is needed, e.g., in terms of providing free access to car pool lanes for equipped vehicles even before there are any lead vehicles available and to provide education at low cost to drivers who desire to lead road trains.
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14.1 Customer benefits Following commercial vehicles, e.g., trucks or buses, benefit mainly from decreased fuel
consumption and increased work efficiency if time spent in a road train can be considered as rest
There are several benefits for following passenger vehicles, the most obvious being o Increased safety, ca 50% reduction of highway related accidents, as trained truck
drivers statistically are exposed to fewer accidents than the average driver. o Decreased fuel consumption, ca 10% reduction o Enabling drivers to perform other tasks, e.g., reading or working
The lead vehicle is essential to form a road train and has less obvious benefits than those of the following vehicles. One benefit for the lead vehicle is that the fuel consumption is decreased, especially if the following vehicle is a truck. However, additional compensation may be needed to motivate drivers to take this role and the increased responsibility which follows with it, e.g.,
o Fees paid to the lead vehicle by the following vehicles o Allowance to become a following vehicle later on, i.e., taking turns to lead o Other benefits, such as allowance to drive in a car pool lane while leading/offering to
lead a road train Furthermore, the system must be easy to use to get acceptance from the driver of the lead vehicle.
The society is not a direct customer, but since there are clear benefits for society it might be of interest for governments to encourage this type of technology. The most obvious benefits being
o Increased safety, ~50% reduction of highway related accidents o Reduced congestion by driving with a reduced following distance o Decreased CO2 footprint as the fuel consumption decreases o Increased GDP by enabling the drivers to perform other tasks than driving
14.2 Product solutions Road trains for commercial vehicles
o For commercial vehicles, the main driving force is reduced fuel consumption in trucks. Since immediate benefits can be made in long haul trucks, road trains for commercial vehicles is considered as the most likely to first adopt this type of technology. As the market penetration increases, this model opens up both for the pay-as-you-go model and for the monthly subscription model.
Monthly subscription of road train usage o In this model, passenger vehicles are paying a monthly fee to get access to road trains
for commuting. The road train is led by a truck driven by a professional driver. The monthly subscription may either be paid by the user or by his/her company to either make the company more attractive to employees and/or to increase the efficiency of the employees by enabling them to work while being transported to work by the road train. The availability of vehicles equipped with technology for leading the road train will be limited in the initial phase, and hence, subscriptions may only be offered to a limited number of users matching the number of available lead vehicles.
Pay-as-you-go for joining the road train
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o This model is, at least in an initial phase, mainly directed to long distance travel, but may later be applied more locally. The users pay a fee to the lead vehicle for joining the road train over a predefined route, e.g., over a distance of 400 km, or per distance of usage. The pay-as-you-go model is particularly attractive to users who travel long distances on a regular basis, who have a monthly subscription for local usage or for rental cars in regions where there are many lead vehicles available.
Free service based on ”sponsored” benefits o In the free service based model, users get immediate benefits when they purchase the
vehicle, e.g., in terms of free access to car pool lanes or free parking. Since there are clear benefits for governments, there may be an interest to encourage this type of technology, e.g., by giving such benefits to the users.
For all product solutions, there is an add-on cost for technology and communication. Equipment needs to be added for enabling the vehicles to interact with each other (V2V) and with the driver (touch display), but the main part of the add-on cost arises from technology needed for redundancy and functional safety, e.g.,
Redundant Electronic Power Steering Redundant Sensors, e.g. radar or lidar Redundant Control Module
In total, the estimated add-on cost for customers is €2000, both for the lead vehicle and the following vehicle. There is also an additional cost of €300/year for Vehicle to Vehicle communication services and maintenance. Moreover, the driver of the lead vehicle needs to obtain a license to lead the road train, at a training cost estimated to €2500.
14.3 Conclusion For the trucking industry, the reduced fuel consumption which road trains enable can lead to large savings in the cost of transportation and a decreased CO2 footprint. For passenger vehicles, monthly subscription models may be used to attract some commuters to become followers in road trains with commercial vehicles. Considering the initial investment and the annual cost, the return on investment is less than three years for road trains with commercial vehicles. For a trained driver, the return on investment, when investing in a new truck, is less than two years. Hence, road trains for commercial vehicles are viable from a business perspective. It is also possible to form a viable business case for a model with a monthly subscription for commuters who may join existing road trains led by commercial vehicles. This market is expected to grow but is ultimately limited by the number of trucks on the road.
15 Report on infrastructure and environment Although the objective of the project was to develop a system that does not require any modification to the infrastructure, and it was achieved, there are several external factors that might need to be modified. These factors are more related to the cases of emergency or hazards that could happen. Also the project is trying to generate positive changes to the delicate relationship between vehicles and the environment such as reducing emissions. The main infrastructure impacts will be in the interest of safety more than anything else. This is because it has been proved that the platoon can work on a public road without any changes however
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when considering things like the roadside safety barriers which are designed for a single car to collide with them instead of up to 8 cars colliding with them in close concession. A number of meetings with the Spanish road administrator ABERTIS were held and after they were able to ride in one of the vehicles during the public road test they stated that the roads would need practically no modification. Noting the possibility of an increase in the length of the acceleration and deceleration lanes to join and leave the highway as the only possible requirement. ABERTIS are currently modifying the tolling infrastructure to locate the tolls on branch roads that exit the highway system, avoiding the need to stop the fast traffic on the main lanes However; there are still areas that maintain the toll plazas on the main road section. It is for this type of facility that some modifications might be required. ABERTIS believe that platoons could encourage national changes on how the cost of the highway can be paid. This is not a necessary change but an optional improvement that platoons could encourage. Regarding the road maintenance concerns, the road is actually worn out by every vehicle that passes, without any time input, so no modification would be needed. Another important aspect of the project was the effect on the environment. The project achieved a reduction in fuel consumption which is directly linked to a reduction in the gases emitted to the atmosphere. Projects based on sustainability are gaining an increasing interest on a worldwide scale and during the project emission reductions were encountered when taking advantage of the aerodynamic benefits of platooning It was decided that the best way to understand the impact that this project could have on the environment was to carry out a numerical example that supplies the reader with realistic values concerning the emission reductions that are achieved in platooning. The total accumulated amount of CO2eq reduced from the 3 vehicles in the example, would be approximately 3 tonnes per year and the fuel saving achieved during the tests can be seen in Figure 26. In conclusion, only the road side barriers can be considered to be not optimized to absorb the impact of a platoon. Regarding the environment a truck can save up to 2.8 tons of CO2eq in a single year and a car up to 0.1 tons simply by platooning. An example of one of the emissions calculators is shown below.
Distància *3
Factor d'emissió
CO2 *5 Emissions de CO2
km g CO2/km (tones)
3.800,00 171,0 0,64976
3.800,00 157,7 0,59937
42.000,00 617,8 25,94802
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4. Mètode: distància recorreguda (si no es disposa de la marca i model)
Mode de transport Descripció Tipus
Turismes, furgonetes, camionetes,
camions, ciclomotors,
motocicletes, autobusos, autocars
Vehicle 1 Turisme gasolina Vehicle 2 Turisme dieselVehicle 3 CamióVehicle 4
Vehicle 5
Vehicle 6
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Vehicle 11
Vehicle 12
Vehicle 13
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Vehicle 17
Vehicle 18
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Vehicle 20
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Figure 27- Screen shot of the emissions calculator
16 Summary of the policies recommended to achieve a wider impact. This paper looked at the policies and the legislative impact that the SARTRE project will have. For platooning to be possible then certain legislations will need to be changed, removed or created in order to have the largest impact. The main issue is that there are strict rules currently in place in order to ensure drivers are concentrating on driving and are in a suitable condition to drive. The developed platooning system uses autonomous driving to allow the driver to use their time more productively. The current policies state that the driver is not allowed to use their mobile phone or eat and drink while in the driving seat of a moving vehicle, this paper aims to look into the possibility of changing these regulations for vehicles in a platoon. Another issue that this project faces is that different countries have different policies, to allow platoons to function on a global scale then the governing laws would need to be altered as well as the regional policies. The way to do this would be to change the Vienna and Geneva conventions as a large majority of countries are bound to these 2 sets of legislations. As both of these conventions are very similar it should be reasonably easy to adjust them in a way to allow platooning. Furthermore after an investigation it was found that there are only around 6 articles in each convention which appear to be relevant to platoons. In the United States of America 3 states have already updated their policies to allow autonomous vehicles in some situations. These vehicles are not available for the public but are being tested by large companies. In terms of platooning this should help to change the policies needed to allow platoons on the road in America. However, as with each new technological advancement, there is always a delay between the technology being ready and the legislation allowing the technology to be used. This means that new legislation needs to be created for platoons, these regulations could consider topics to do with liability if there is a crash involving a platoon or the repercussions of abusing the system by altering the hardware or software. To summarise the developed platooning system is functioning and although it still requires further testing and improvements, preparations can start to be made for its deployment. Some of the important preparations are ensuring that all of the required laws and regulations are in place which may prove to be a challenge.
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17 Final Dissemination report, containing dissemination and exploitation activities This section includes two templates:
Template A1: List of all scientific (peer reviewed) publications relating to the foreground of the project. Template A2: List of all dissemination activities (publications, conferences, workshops, web sites/applications, press releases, flyers,
articles published in the popular press, videos, media briefings, presentations, exhibitions, thesis, interviews, films, TV clips, posters).
Template A1: list of scientific (peer reviewed) publications, starting with the most important2 ones
NO. Title Main author
Title of the periodical or the series
Number, date or frequency
Place of publication
Year of publication
Is/Will open access3 provided to this publication?
1 All aboard the Robotic Road Train
Erik Coelingh, VCC
IEEE Spectrum
Volume 49, Issue 11, November 2012
2012 no
2 Cooperative control of SARTRE automated platoon vehicles
Eric Chan, Ricardo
Proceedings of the 19th ITW World Congress
22-26 October 2012
Vienna, Austria
2012 no
3 Impact of platooning on the traffic efficiency
Jens Kotte, IKA
Proceedings of the 19th ITW World Congress
22-26 October 2012
Vienna, Austria
2012 no
4 Safe road trains for the Environment
Maider Larburu,
Proceedings of the 19th
22-26 October 2012
Vienna, Austria
2012 no
2 We list publications by date, starting with the most recent one, and not by importance. 3 Open Access is defined as free of charge access for anyone via Internet. Please answer "yes" if the open access to the publication is already established and also if the embargo period for open access is not yet over but you intend to establish open access afterwards.
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(SARTRE): Validation of SARTRE Platoon service and the SARTRE HMI
Tecnalia ITW World Congress
5 Overview of Platooning Systems
Carl Bergenhem, SP
Proceedings of the 19th ITW World Congress
22-26 October 2012
Vienna, Austria
2012 no
6 Overview of the SARTRE Platooning ProjectOverview of Platooning Systems
Eric Chan, Ricardo
SAE Technical Paper
2012-01-9019
2012 no
7 Platooning- Safe and Eco-friendly Mobility
Arturo Dávila, IDIADA
SAE Technical Paper
2012-01-0488
2012 no
8 Performance Limitations in Vehicle Platoon Control
Stefan Solyom, VCC
Proceedings of the 15th International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC)
September 16-19, 2012
Anchorage, USA
2012 no
9 Field Measurements of IEEE 802.11p Communication in NLOS Environments for a Platooning Application
Kristian Karlsson, SP
Proceedings of the 76th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference
September 3-6, 2012
Quebec, Canada
2012 no
10 Performance Stefan Proceedings September 9- Seoul, 2012 no
43
Limitations for Longitudinal Control of Vehicle Platoons
Solyom, VCC
of the 11th International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control (AVEC)
12, 2012 Korea
11 Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for a Platooning System
Carl Bergenhem, SP
Procedia - Social and Behavioural Sciences
Volume 48 2012 no
12 SARTRE cooperative control of fully automated platoon vehicles
Eric Chan, Ricardo
Proceedings of the 18th ITW World Congress
October 16-20, 2011
Orlando, USA
2011 no
13 SARTRE - Safe Road Trains for the Environment Reducing Fuel Consumption through lower Aerodynamic Drag Coefficient
Arturo Dávila, IDIADA
Proceedings of the 18th ITW World Congress
October 16-20, 2011
Orlando, USA
2011 no
14 Operating Platoons on Public Motorways: An Introduction to The SARTRE Platooning Programme
Tom Robinson, Ricardo
Proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress
October 25-29, 2010
Busan, Korea
2010 no
15 SAFE ROAD TRAINS FOR
Maider Larburu,
Proceedings of the 17th
October 25-29, 2010
Busan, Korea
2010 no
44
ENVIRONMENT: Human factors’ aspects in dual mode transport systems
Tecnalia
ITS World Congress
16 Challenges of Platooning on Public Motorways
Carl Bergenhem, SP
Proceedings of the 17th ITS World Congress
October 25-29, 2010
Busan, Korea
2010 no
Template A2: list of dissemination activities
NO. Type of activities4 Main leader Title Date/Period Place Type of audience5
Size of audience
Countries addressed
1 Press release VCC “Cars that drive themselves can become reality within ten years”
October 22, 2009
Media > 1000 International
Video VCC Video: “SARTRE animation”
October 22, 2009
Civil Society
> 1000 International
Web SP SARTRE December, Civil > 10 000 International 4 A drop down list allows choosing the dissemination activity: publications, conferences, workshops, web, press releases, flyers, articles published in the popular press, videos, media briefings, presentations, exhibitions, thesis, interviews, films, TV clips, posters, Other. 5 A drop down list allows choosing the type of public: Scientific Community (higher education, Research), Industry, Civil Society, Policy makers, Medias, Other ('multiple choices' is possible).
45
project homepage: www.sartre-project.eu/net
2009 Society, Industry, Scientific Community
Publication IDIADA “SARTRE : SAfe Road TRains for the Environment”
September 21-23, 2010
PRT@LHR Conference on Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
Scientific Community
< 50 International
Presentation Ricardo Overview of SARTRE project
March 3, 2010 EARPA internal conference
Industry < 50 International
2 Press release VCC “Film documents first year of progress in the development of safe road train technology”
November 24, 2010
Media > 1000 International
3 Video VCC Video: “Road trains platooning project”
November 24, 2010
Civil Society
> 1000 International
Press release VCC “First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning”
January 17, 2011
Media > 1000 International
Video VCC Video: “First tests with the SARTRE Road train”
January 17, 2011
Civil Society
> 1000 International
Exhibition Ricardo ITS World October Florida, Scientific > 1000 International
46
Congress 16-20, 2011 USA Community, Industry
Demonstration SP SARTRE demonstration
October 10, 2011
Hällered, Sweden
Scientific Community
< 50 International
Workshop SP First SARTRE Workshop
October 11, 2011
Borås, Sweden
Scientific Community
< 50 International
Publication Ika “SARTRE: Safe road train for the environment”
October 10-11th 2011
Aachen Colloquium
Scientific Community
50-100 International
Publication Ika “SARTRE: Safe road train for the environment”
November 1st 2011
Aachen Colloquium China
Scientific Community
50-100 International
Video VCC Video: “SARTRE Road trains - tests with several vehicles in high speed”
January 24, 2012
Civil Society
> 1000 International
Video Euronews, European Commission
Documentary: “The future is: hands-free driving”
March 1, 2012 Civil Society
> 10 000 Europa
Other IDIADA Demonstration of the SARTRE platooning system
May, 2012 IDIADA, Spain
IDIADA personnel
< 50 Spain
Press release VCC “SARTRE road train première on public roads”
May 28, 2012 Media > 1000 International
Video VCC Video: May 28, 2012 Civil > 1000 International
47
“SARTRE road train on public road”
Society
Publication IDIADA “Platooning- Safe and Eco-friendly Mobility”
June 19-20, 2012
AutoEvent Poland
Scientific Community
50-100 International
Presentation VCC “SARTRE project mixed platoon”
July 25, 2012 Road Vehicle Automation Workshop, Irvine, California
Scientific Community
< 50 International
Flyer SP “Safe Road Trains for the Environment – Project SARTRE”
September 11, 2012
Industry 100 – 1000 Europa
Demonstration SP SARTRE demonstration
September 11, 2012
Hällered, Sweden
Scientific Community, Industry
50-100 International
Workshop SP Second SARTRE Workshop
September 12, 2012
Borås, Sweden
Scientific Community, Industry
50-100 International
Media briefing VCC SARTRE Media Event
September 12-16, 2012
Hällered, Sweden
Medias > 1000 International
Press release VCC Partners conclude after the SARTRE project
September 17, 2012
Media > 1000 International
Video VCC Video: “The SARTRE road train video”
September 17, 2012
Civil Society
> 1000 International
Presentation Ricardo Title October 21, International Industry, < 50 International
48
“SARTRE Final Demonstration”
2012 Task Force on Vehicle-Highway Automation, Vienna, Austria
Scientific Community
Presentation SP Title “SARTRE Project”
October 22, 2012
Energy ITS Workshop, Vienna, Austria
Scientific Community
< 50 International
Poster SP SARTRE Project
October 22-26, 2012
Vienna, Austria
Scientific Community, Industry
> 10 000 International
Exhibition SP ITS World Congress
October 22-26, 2012
Vienna, Austria
Scientific Community, Industry
> 10 000 International
Presentation VCC ITS and Cooperative Systems
October 23-25, 2012
Connected Living European Summit, Gothenburg, Sweden
Scientific Community, Industry
50-100 International
49
18 Exploitation reports The exploitation report outlines the implementation of platoons in products and on the road. Business models developed in the public deliverable D5.1 – Report on commercialisation as well as the D5.3 – Report on policies are used to describe possible introduction of platoons. As ad-hoc road trains that you can join assumes that the technology has a large enough penetration on the market, the first steps proposed is to use trucks within a single haulier as the first commercial implementation. When the system penetration is large enough on trucks, it can be introduced for passenger cars as well. The challenge of technologies are describe as although the SARTRE system has been a successful demonstrator system, much technical development remains to ensure that the system is operable and safe in all intended working conditions. Platooning is a cooperative activity using wireless communication. The project have been using the automotive standard 802.11p for communication between but standards on what need to be communicated on the wireless still needs to be standardized. In parallel activities on adapting legislation and policies needs to be carried out. The public do also need to be both informed on what a platoon on the road is to accept an introduction, as well as be educated on how to behave when a platoon is on the road. The figure below shows a simplified scheme of the activities in relation to time. The dotted red line indicates the point in time when the technology can be considered mature for commercial use.
50
19 Report on societal implications Replies to the following questions will assist the Commission to obtain statistics and indicators on societal and socio-economic issues addressed by projects. The questions are arranged in a number of key themes. As well as producing certain statistics, the replies will also help identify those projects that have shown a real engagement with wider societal issues, and thereby identify interesting approaches to these issues and best practices. The replies for individual projects will not be made public. A General Information (completed automatically when Grant Agreement number is entered. Grant Agreement Number:
233683 Title of Project:
SAfe Road TRains for the Environment Name and Title of Coordinator:
Mr Paviter S Jootel, Project Manager, Ricardo UK B Ethics
1. Did your project undergo an Ethics Review (and/or Screening)?
51
If Yes: have you described the progress of compliance with the relevant Ethics Review/Screening Requirements in the frame of the periodic/final project reports? Special Reminder: the progress of compliance with the Ethics Review/Screening Requirements should be described in the Period/Final Project Reports under the Section 3.2.2 'Work Progress and Achievements'
0Yes 0No
2. Please indicate whether your project involved any of the following issues (tick box) :
YES
Research on Humans Did the project involve children? x Did the project involve patients? x Did the project involve persons not able to give consent? x Did the project involve adult healthy volunteers? Did the project involve Human genetic material? x Did the project involve Human biological samples? x Did the project involve Human data collection? Research on Human embryo/foetus Did the project involve Human Embryos? x Did the project involve Human Foetal Tissue / Cells? x Did the project involve Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs)? x Did the project on human Embryonic Stem Cells involve cells in culture? x Did the project on human Embryonic Stem Cells involve the derivation of cells from Embryos?
x
Privacy Did the project involve processing of genetic information or personal data (eg. health, sexual lifestyle, ethnicity, political opinion, religious or philosophical conviction)?
x
Did the project involve tracking the location or observation of people? x Research on Animals Did the project involve research on animals? x Were those animals transgenic small laboratory animals? x Were those animals transgenic farm animals? x Were those animals cloned farm animals? x Were those animals non-human primates? x Research Involving Developing Countries Did the project involve the use of local resources (genetic, animal, plant etc)? x Was the project of benefit to local community (capacity building, access to healthcare, education etc)?
x
Dual Use Research having direct military use x Research having the potential for terrorist abuse x
C Workforce Statistics
3. Workforce statistics for the project: Please indicate in the table below the number of people who worked on the project (on a headcount basis).
Type of Position Number of Women Number of Men Scientific Coordinator 1 8
52
Work package leaders 2 7 Experienced researchers (i.e. PhD holders) 0 8 PhD Students 1 7 Other 7 32 4. How many additional researchers (in companies and universities) were recruited specifically for this project?
Of which, indicate the number of men:
1
D Gender Aspects 5. Did you carry out specific Gender Equality Actions under the project?
Yes No
6. Which of the following actions did you carry out and how effective were they? Not at all
effective Very
effective
Design and implement an equal opportunity policy Set targets to achieve a gender balance in the
workforce
Organise conferences and workshops on gender Actions to improve work-life balance Other: 7. Was there a gender dimension associated with the research content – i.e. wherever people were the focus of the research as, for example, consumers, users, patients or in trials, was the issue of gender considered and addressed? Yes- please specify
No E Synergies with Science Education 8. Did your project involve working with students and/or school pupils (e.g. open days, participation in science festivals and events, prizes/competitions or joint projects)? Yes- please specify
No 9. Did the project generate any science education material (e.g. kits, websites, explanatory booklets, DVDs)? Yes- please specify
No F Interdisciplinarity 10. Which disciplines (see list below) are involved in your project? Main discipline6: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4 Associated discipline6: Associated discipline6:
G Engaging with Civil society and policy makers 11a Did your project engage with societal actors beyond the research community? (if 'No', go to Question 14)
Yes No
6 Insert number from list below (Frascati Manual).
IKA - mini project
From statistics point of view in the driving simulator studies for system validation
53
11b If yes, did you engage with citizens (citizens' panels / juries) or organised civil society (NGOs, patients' groups etc.)? No Yes- in determining what research should be performed Yes - in implementing the research Yes, in communicating /disseminating / using the results of the project 11c In doing so, did your project involve actors whose role is mainly to organise the dialogue with citizens and organised civil society (e.g. professional mediator; communication company, science museums)?
Yes No
12. Did you engage with government / public bodies or policy makers (including international organisations)
No Yes- in framing the research agenda Yes - in implementing the research agenda Yes, in communicating /disseminating / using the results of the project 13a Will the project generate outputs (expertise or scientific advice) which could be used by policy makers? Yes – as a primary objective (please indicate areas below- multiple answers possible) Yes – as a secondary objective (please indicate areas below - multiple answer possible) No 13b If Yes, in which fields? Agriculture Audiovisual and Media Budget Competition Consumers Culture Customs Development Economic and Monetary Affairs Education, Training, Youth Employment and Social Affairs
Energy Enlargement Enterprise Environment External Relations External Trade Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Food Safety Foreign and Security Policy Fraud Humanitarian aid
Human rights Information Society Institutional affairs Internal Market Justice, freedom and security Public Health Regional Policy Research and Innovation Space Taxation Transport
13c If Yes, at which level? Local / regional levels National level European level International level H Use and dissemination 14. How many Articles were published/accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals?
16
To how many of these is open access7 provided? 0 How many of these are published in open access journals? 0 How many of these are published in open repositories? 0 To how many of these is open access not provided? 16 Please check all applicable reasons for not providing open access: 7 Open Access is defined as free of charge access for anyone via Internet.
54
publisher's licensing agreement would not permit publishing in a repository no suitable repository available no suitable open access journal available no funds available to publish in an open access journal lack of time and resources lack of information on open access other8: ……………
15. How many new patent applications (‘priority filings’) have been made? ("Technologically unique": multiple applications for the same invention in different jurisdictions should be counted as just one application of grant).
1 (EP 2390744)
16. Indicate how many of the following Intellectual Property Rights were applied for (give number in each box).
Trademark 0 Registered design 0 Other 1 (EP 2390744)
17. How many spin-off companies were created / are planned as a direct result of the project?
0
Indicate the approximate number of additional jobs in these companies: 18. Please indicate whether your project has a potential impact on employment, in comparison with the situation before your project: Increase in employment, or In small & medium-sized enterprises Safeguard employment, or In large companies Decrease in employment, None of the above / not relevant to the project Difficult to estimate / not possible to
quantify
19. For your project partnership please estimate the employment effect resulting directly from your participation in Full Time Equivalent (FTE = one person working fulltime for a year) jobs: Difficult to estimate / not possible to quantify
Indicate figure:
I Media and Communication to the general public 20. As part of the project, were any of the beneficiaries professionals in communication or media relations? Yes No 21. As part of the project, have any beneficiaries received professional media / communication training / advice to improve communication with the general public? Yes No 22 Which of the following have been used to communicate information about your project to the general public, or have resulted from your project? Press Release Coverage in specialist press Media briefing Coverage in general (non-specialist) press TV coverage / report Coverage in national press Radio coverage / report Coverage in international press Brochures /posters / flyers Website for the general public / internet DVD /Film /Multimedia Event targeting general public (festival,
8 For instance: classification for security project.
55
conference, exhibition, science café) 23 In which languages are the information products for the general public produced?
Language of the coordinator English Other language(s) Question F-10: Classification of Scientific Disciplines according to the Frascati Manual 2002 (Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, OECD 2002): Fields of science and technology 1. Natural Sciences 1.1 Mathematics and computer sciences [mathematics and other allied fields: computer sciences and other allied subjects (software development only; hardware development should be classified in the engineering fields)] 1.2 Physical sciences (astronomy and space sciences, physics and other allied subjects) 1.3 Chemical sciences (chemistry, other allied subjects) 1.4 Earth and related environmental sciences (geology, geophysics, mineralogy, physical geography and other geosciences, meteorology and other atmospheric sciences including climatic research, oceanography, vulcanology, palaeoecology, other allied sciences) 1.5 Biological sciences (biology, botany, bacteriology, microbiology, zoology, entomology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, other allied sciences, excluding clinical and veterinary sciences) 2 Engineering and technology 2.1 Civil engineering (architecture engineering, building science and engineering, construction engineering, municipal and structural engineering and other allied subjects) 2.2 Electrical engineering, electronics [electrical engineering, electronics, communication engineering and systems, computer engineering (hardware only) and other allied subjects] 2.3. Other engineering sciences (such as chemical, aeronautical and space, mechanical, metallurgical and materials engineering, and their specialised subdivisions; forest products; applied sciences such as geodesy, industrial chemistry, etc.; the science and technology of food production; specialised technologies of interdisciplinary fields, e.g. systems analysis, metallurgy, mining, textile technology and other applied subjects) 3. Medical Sciences 3.1 Basic medicine (anatomy, cytology, physiology, genetics, pharmacy, pharmacology, toxicology, immunology and immunohaematology, clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, pathology) 3.2 Clinical medicine (anaesthesiology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, neurology, psychiatry, radiology, therapeutics, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology) 3.3 Health sciences (public health services, social medicine, hygiene, nursing, epidemiology) 4. Agricultural sciences
56
4.1 Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and allied sciences (agronomy, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, horticulture, other allied subjects) 4.2 Veterinary medicine 5. Social sciences 5.1 Psychology 5.2 Economics 5.3 Educational sciences (education and training and other allied subjects) 5.4 Other social sciences [anthropology (social and cultural) and ethnology, demography, geography (human, economic and social), town and country planning, management, law, linguistics, political sciences, sociology, organisation and methods, miscellaneous social sciences and interdisciplinary , methodological and historical S1T activities relating to subjects in this group. Physical anthropology, physical geography and psychophysiology should normally be classified with the natural sciences]. 6. Humanities 6.1 History (history, prehistory and history, together with auxiliary historical disciplines such as archaeology, numismatics, palaeography, genealogy, etc.) 6.2 Languages and literature (ancient and modern) 6.3 Other humanities [philosophy (including the history of science and technology) arts, history of art, art criticism, painting, sculpture, musicology, dramatic art excluding artistic "research" of any kind, religion, theology, other fields and subjects pertaining to the humanities, methodological, historical and other S1T activities relating to the subjects in this group]
57
FINAL REPORT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE European Union FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION This report shall be submitted to the Commission within 30 days after receipt of the final payment of the European Union financial contribution. Report on the distribution of the European Union financial contribution between beneficiaries Name of beneficiary Final amount of EU contribution per
beneficiary in Euros 1. Ricardo UK Ltd € 1,245,074 2. Volvo Technology € 551,430 3. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden € 581,460 4. IDIADA € 263,200 5. FUNDACION ROBOTIKA (TECNALIA_RBTK)
€ 342,788
6. Institut fur Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) € 330,900 7. Volvo Cars Corporation € 522,277 Total € 3,837,129
Filename: SARTRE_6_013_PU FAQ 110510.doc Doc Id: SARTRE_6_013_PU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 1 of 5 18-May-11 Confidentiality: Public
1 Introduction This document contains a collection of Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) and answers in the below table. Table 1 The project What is a vehicle platoon? It’s a road train with vehicles, where vehicles are
autonomously following a manually driven lead vehicle, driven by a professional driver.
What is SARTRE? An EU-financed project, with seven partners from four countries in Europe, discovering the possibilities with vehicle platoons on public highways. The project started on 1st September 2009 and aims to complete by end August 2012.
What is the Project Budget? €6.4m with around 60% of this being provided by the European Commission FP7 programme
Who are involved in the project?
It’s an EU financed project with following participating partners: • Ricardo UK Ltd (UK) • Volvo Technology (Sweden) • SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden • Applus+ IDIADA (Spain) • Tecnalia (Spain) • IKA (Germany) • Volvo Cars (Sweden)
Why are you researching about vehicle platoons?
Platooning has the potential to address three key societal challenges; • Environment - 10-20% anticipated saving • Safety - Driver is no 1 contributor to road
fatalities being the primary cause 87% of the time and contributor 95% of the time. With reduced driver control increased safety can be achieved
• Reduced congestion – increased traffic stability In addition there is added convenience for the drivers of the following vehicles, allowing use of their travel time for other activities.
Which are the major project challenges?
There are a lot of challenges being analyzed in the project. One of them is seeking to identify an appropriate length of platoon, for good interaction with surrounding traffic. Very long road trains can block exits to slipways for other vehicles.
Is the idea of road platoons suitable for country roads and motorways only or they are also possible in cities?
At the moment we are focussing on Motorways only. There are additional complexities when you consider country roads and cities (e.g. pedestrians).
Is there a need for any infrastructure changes before introducing platoons on public roads?
No, we are aiming to have a system that doesn’t require infrastructure changes
How about safety of the platoon? Have you already
We are completing a safety analysis which will lead to safety requirements. We obviously have a
Filename: SARTRE_6_013_PU FAQ 110510.doc Doc Id: SARTRE_6_013_PU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 2 of 5 18-May-11 Confidentiality: Public
made any simulations of inevitable accidents and response of the vehicles in the platoon?
goal to be as safe as the existing road system – If not safer.
How does it work How do the vehicles communicate with each other
Wireless through a technique which will be standardized on an EU-level (based on 802.11p). However we are still exploring which communication systems that will be used.
How long will a platoon be? The human factors work has indicated that up to 15 cars would be acceptable. In the SARTRE prototype we will implement a platoon of 5 vehicles. One key factor is that the platoon needs to be able to interact with other road users, who for example need to be able to conveniently access or leave the motorway without being disturbed by the platoon. Computer simulation is being used to study how platoons will affect and be affected by surrounding traffic.
What will be the distance between the vehicles?
In the initial tests, the inter-vehicle gap was around 10m. We’re aiming to minimize the distance in order to achieve reduced fuel consumption. The actual distance we achieve will depend on safety, human factors and environmental benefits.
What technology will be used? A combination of sensors (such as radar, camera and laser), as well as communication between the vehicles will help the vehicles to follow the movement of the lead vehicle. For administration of the platoon, a software client will be used that for example will guide the driver to a suitable platoon and perform other platoon organizing related tasks.
How will an existing vehicle create the necessary gap to pull off?
The current intention is that the lead vehicle will control the following vehicles and create the gap.
What happens if the lead vehicle drives off the road?
We strive for preventing this from happening, and believe that the safety systems in the lead vehicle are an important factor for helping the vehicles to stay on the road (e.g. Volvo’s ESP, Driver Alert Support, Lane Keeping Support…). There could however be situations where the lead vehicle (by intention or not), drives off road, and we are evaluating different solutions for handling these situations.
Can any driver with a drivers licence drive the lead vehicle?
No. Our view is that the lead vehicle should be driven by a professional driver, with high likelihood of additional training to ensure they understand particular issues with road trains. In the project, we therefore let professional truck drivers lead (as the likely first adopters). Coaches would also be an alternative. Cars could also lead but this is not the focus of SARTRE.
Isn’t there a risk that the drivers The driver should be able to relax, that is an
Filename: SARTRE_6_013_PU FAQ 110510.doc Doc Id: SARTRE_6_013_PU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 3 of 5 18-May-11 Confidentiality: Public
in the following vehicles become too passive and inattentive if the driving is autonomous?
important part of the project. However, we are also looking at supportive systems that will help the driver to take control of the vehicle again, when, for example, it’s time to leave the platoon.
How will a potential joiner know if he or she can join?
The information about access will be communicated by the lead vehicle. A web based client can support the planning.
How will you handle a lane change?
The lead vehicle driver decides if the platoon needs to change lane. To achieve this the driver needs a good “view” of the surrounding traffic. To support this we will be transmitting the sensor information from all vehicles to the lead vehicle.
Will a platoon crash be more damaging than a normal motorway crash due to the shorter distance?
Not necessarily. The platoon vehicles are being driven automatically and as such we are benefiting from the faster reaction times of the platoon system, in addition the relative speed between vehicles in the platoon is less thus damage is likely to be less. One of our guiding principles is to ensure we do develop a system that is safer than existing systems.
Why not use a train instead? We believe in using the most appropriate transport mode and the train provides an important transport alternative, however this is not always the most efficient or convenient alternative. The road train provides a good complement, since it combines the flexibility and benefits of a car with the benefits of a train.
Current status and Next step You stated in your press release platooning can be a reality within 10 years, is this likely?
A lot of the technology is already available. However, legislation and user acceptance, impact the date for introduction to market.
Where will we be seeing road trains in the future?
Probably in slow and middle lane on highways. Early adoption may be in the form of dedicated lanes.
Will there be a cost to join a platoon and how will payment be handled?
We are looking at different alternatives for the business model.
At which stage of the project are you now?
At the moment, we have tested one car following a lead truck in limited speed on a test track.
The project will be finished in 2012, what is the next step (from Jan 2011) at the moment?
The next step is to incorporate more following vehicles at higher speeds and shorter inter-vehicle distance. In the final step of the tests, we aim to demonstrate on public highways.
Filename: SARTRE_6_013_PU FAQ 110510.doc Doc Id: SARTRE_6_013_PU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 4 of 5 18-May-11 Confidentiality: Public
2 About the partners SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is a leading international research institute. We work closely with our customers to create value, delivering high-quality input in all parts of the innovation chain, and thus playing an important part in assisting the competitiveness of industry and its evolution towards sustainable development. For more information, visit www.sp.se
Ricardo plc is a leading independent technology provider and strategic consultant to the world’s transportation sector and clean energy industries. The company’s engineering expertise ranges from vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development, to the latest driveline and transmission systems and gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fuel cell powertrain technologies, as well as wind energy and tidal power systems. A public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ricardo plc posted sales of £162.8 million in financial year 2010. Ricardo is participating in the SARTRE project through its UK business, Ricardo UK Ltd. For more information, visit www.ricardo.com.
The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre is an all-round supplier of contracted R+D+I, which has a complete range of services and products ranging from foresight and technology surveillance to new technology based business launching. Of this wide range of methods for collaborating with companies, development of R&D projects and technology consultancy services stand out. Robotiker-Tecnalia operates in its reference markets through five business units: ENERGY, TELECOM, AUTOMOTIVE, INFOTECH and INNOVA. This helps the technology centre to specialise by orienting research towards the needs of companies in these key sectors. Its mainly objective is to actively contribute to sustainable development in Society through Research and Technological Transfer. Over the years Robotiker-Tecnalia has taken part in more than 85 European projects, 24 of which remain ongoing. www.robotiker.com
Volvo Technology Corporation is a Business Unit of the Volvo Group, which is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial transport solutions providing products such as trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications as well as aircraft engine components. Founded in 1927, Volvo today has about 100,000 employees, production in 19 countries and operates on more than 180 markets. Volvo Technology Corporation is an innovation company that on contract basis invents researches, develops and integrates new product and business concepts and technology for hard as well as soft products within the transport and vehicle industry. Volvo Technology’s primary customers are the Volvo Group Business Areas & Units. In addition, Volvo Technology participates in national and international projects in certain strategic areas, organised in common research programmes. For more information see www.tech.volvo.com
Applus+ IDIADA, as a global partner to the automotive industry, provides complete solutions for automotive development projects worldwide. Applus+ IDIADA’s Technical Centre is located 70 km south of Barcelona (Spain), having subsidiaries and branch offices in 16 European and Asian countries with a total work force of around 1000 employees. The core services Applus+ IDIADA provides are: Engineering, Proving Ground and Homologation. Main fields of engineering activity are power train, emissions, noise & vibration, vehicle dynamics, braking systems, fatigue & durability and passive safety. Applus+ IDIADA’s proving ground is recognised as one of the best facilities in the world, and is renowned for the quality of its costumer service. As a multi-user facility, safety and confidentiality are of the highest priority. Weather conditions make this facility the first choice regardless of the type of testing. For more information, visit www.idiada.com
The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika) with its centennial history is engaged in education and in industry-orientated research on vehicles - e.g. cars, commercial vehicles, busses and motorcycles - as well as neighbouring issues such as traffic and environmental conditions (noise, exhaust gas, etc.). ika is headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing.
Filename: SARTRE_6_013_PU FAQ 110510.doc Doc Id: SARTRE_6_013_PU
Project: 233683 SARTRE 5 of 5 18-May-11 Confidentiality: Public
Lutz Eckstein. In 2009 ika had more than 200 employees. ika increasingly links research projects with development tasks that have to be financed by third-party funding. ika´s activities are tailored to industrial demands and comprise the departments: Chassis - Body - Drivetrain - Acoustics - Electronics – Driver Assistance - Strategy and Process Development. The Driver Assistance department focuses on the development and assessment of driver assistance systems. Since the first introduction of advanced driver assistant systems (ADAS) ika has been one of the leading test facilities for independent tests and certifications of the system’s components and overall applications. For more information, visit www.ika.rwth-aachen.de
Volvo Car Corporation is one of the car industry's strongest brands, with a long and proud history of world-leading innovations. Volvo sells around 400.000 cars per year in about 120 countries and comprising some 2,000 sales outlets and service workshops around the world. Volvo Car Corporation's headquarter and other corporate functions are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more information, please check www.volvocars.com.
What kind of task has every partner within the project? • Ricardo – coordination and overall management, Safety analysis, development of
autonomous control, development of platoon management strategies (e,g, join, leave maintain)
• Volvo Cars – development of sensor and sensor fusion and development of low level actuation (e.g. power steering) for following vehicle cars, lead on implementation work package, installation of the system into the cars
• Volvo Technology – development of sensor and sensor fusion and, development of low level actuation (e.g. power steering) for lead and following trucks, lead on implementation for lead vehicle, system installation into trucks
• SP – lead use case definition, development of vehicle to vehicle communications, lead dissemination work package
• IKA – traffic modelling, development of on-board unit, development of back office support system
• Tecnalia Robotiker – human factors study, development of in-vehicle HMI for lead and following vehicle
• Applus+ IDIADA – assessment of system including road trial MEDIA CONTACTS Ricardo UK Ltd (SARTRE project leader) Anthony Smith Ricardo Media Office Tel: +44 (0)1273 382710 E-mail: [email protected] SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (responsible for SARTRE project dissemination) Carl Bergehem Tel: +46 (0) 10 516 55 53 E-mail: [email protected]
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