Abstract | Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V)-based cooperative truck platooning systems are nearing commercialization. However, there is a knowledge gap in terms of the reliability and resiliency of these systems. Under a U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Re- search Project, the University of California (Berkeley) Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH) has been developing and testing three-truck platooning technology using cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), in collaboration with Volvo Trucks. Transport Canada has been successful in partnering with PATH to secure the PATH CACC system for testing and evaluation purposes at TC’s Motor Vehicle Test Centre (MVTC). The National Re- search Council Canada (NRC) supported TC’s effort to host the fuel-consumption testing campaign for the PATH truck-platooning technology demonstrations. The NRC, under direction from TC and with support from FPInnovations PIT Group, conducted a modified version of the SAE J1321 Type II fuel consumption test procedure to evaluate the fuel-savings benefits of platooning for various aerodynamic tractor-trailer configurations. Other project partners included the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), PMG Technologies , Centre de Formation du Transport Routier de Saint-Jérome (CFTR), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
Four tractor-trailer combinations were used as part of the fuel-economy tests: the three identical test vehicles with the CACC control systems, and a control vehicle. Auxiliary fuel tanks were installed on the vehicles to permit direct measurement of the fuel use during each measurement run using a gravimetric fuel-weighing procedure. |
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