Impacts of Partially Connected and Automated Vehicles on Traffic Flow and Energy Based on Worldwide Experimental Observations in Motorway Driving

Abstract

Road transport networks might face the most significant transformation in the following decades, mostly due to the anticipated introduction of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). The introduction of connectivity and automation will be realised gradually. There are distinctive levels of automation starting from single-dimension automated functionalities, such as regulating the vehicle’s longitudinal behaviour via Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems. Although the technological readiness level is undeniably far from full vehicle automation, there are already commercially available lower-level automated vehicles. The penetration rate of vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as ACC or Cooperative-ACC is constantly increasing bringing new driving behaviours into existing infrastructure, especially on motorways. Lately, several experiments have been conducted with platoons of ACC and CACC-equipped vehicles aiming to study the characteristics and properties of the traffic flow composed by them. This chapter aims to gather the most significant efforts on the topic and present the recent status of research and policy. The impact analysis presented within this chapter is multi-dimensional spanning from traffic flow oscillations and string stability, traffic safety to driving behaviour, energy consumption, and policy, all factors where automation has the potential to contribute to a more sustainable transport system. Investigations through analytical approaches and simulation studies are discussed as well, in comparison to empirical insights, attempting to generalise experimental conclusions. At the end of this chapter, the reader should have a clear view of the existing and potential benefits of CAVs but also the existing and future challenges they can bring.

Citation

Makridis, M.A., Mattas, K., Ciuffo, B. and Kouvelas, A. (2024), "Impacts of Partially Connected and Automated Vehicles on Traffic Flow and Energy Based on Worldwide Experimental Observations in Motorway Driving", Thomopoulos, N., Attard, M. and Shiftan, Y. (Ed.) Sustainable Automated and Connected Transport (Transport and Sustainability, Vol. 19), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 23-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-994120240000019002