Energy-Efficient and Semi-automated Truck Platooning Research and Evaluation

This open access book presents research and evaluation results of the Austrian flagship project “Connecting Austria,” illustrating the wide range of research needs and questions that arise when semi-automated truck platooning is deployed in Austria. The work presented is introduced in the context of work in similar research areas around the world. This interdisciplinary research effort considers aspects of engineering, road-vehicle and infrastructure technologies, traffic management and optimization, traffic safety, and psychology, as well as potential economic effects.

The book’s broad perspective means that readers interested in current and state-of-the-art methods and techniques for the realization of semi-automated driving and with either an engineering background or with a less technical background gain a comprehensive picture of this important subject. The contributors address many questions such as:

• Which maneuvers does a platoon typically have to carry out, and how?
• How can platoons be integrated seamlessly in the traffic flow without becoming an obstacle to individual road users?
•  What trade-offs between system information (sensors, communication effort, etc.) and efficiency are realistic?
•  How can intersections be passed by a platoon in an intelligent fashion?

Consideration of diverse disciplines and highlighting their meaning for semi-automated truck platooning, together with the highlighting of necessary research and evaluation patterns to address such a broad task scientifically, makes Energy-Efficient and Semi-automated Truck Platooning a unique contribution with methods that can be extended and adapted beyond the geographical area of the research reported.

Part I: Introduction & Research Approach.- Research Need: An Overview on Project “Connecting Austria”.- Platooning Around the World.- Research Design & Evaluation Strategies.- Truck Platooning Requirements Analysis.- Part II: Methodology.- Computation Fluid Dynamics Assessment of Truck Platoons.- Simulation of Platoon Dynamics, Optimization & Traffic Effects.- Platoon Control Concepts.- Part III: Simulations, Tests and Demonstrations.- ZalaZone.- Scenario-Based Simulation Studies on Platooning Effects in Traffic.- Fuel Efficiency.- Traffic Measurement for the Intersection Case in Hallein, Austria.- Part IV: Analysis of Results.- Requirements for Truck Platooning from a Road Safety Perspective.- Energy, Fuel & Traffic Efficiency of Platooning.- Business Models, Economy & Innovation.- Truck Drives.- How Platooning Research Enhances the European Innovation System – Even Without Electronically-Coupled Trucks on the Road.- Discussion.

Alexander Schirrer drives research in robust, optimal and model-predictive control, as well as system modeling and parameter identification at TU Wien, Austria. His publication record comprises high-ranking journal articles in control and system theory, many scientific conference papers, as well as peer-reviewed book chapters and book editorials. He teaches university courses in control theory and gives regular international guest lectures on control and modeling subjects. He served as an associate editor for the IEEE European Control Conference and is a regular invited reviewer in the IEEE and IFAC control communities.

Alexander L. Gratzer gained his MSc and BSc degrees from TU Wien, Austria, in 2018 and 2015, respectively, where he is currently a project assistant. His main areas of research are control theory and applications, modeling and simulation, and optimization, with a particular focus on system identification and model-predictive control (MPC) in theory and applications. In process control applications, he developed structured black-box system identification methods and MPC concepts. In car-platooning applications, he is engaged in design and simulation of cooperative distributed MPC concepts, including nonlinear dynamics and mixed-integer problems.

Sebastian Thormann gained his MSc and BSc degrees in mechanical engineering from TU Wien, Austria, in 2020 and 2017, respectively. He was a student project team member at the Institute of Mechanics and Mechatronics at the same university. During this project work, he developed a cooperative model predictive control concept including a custom co-simulation framework for truck platooning within the Austrian lead project Connecting Austria. He is currently working toward the PhD degree with the Automation and Control Institute at the same university.

Stefan Jakubek gained his PhD from the faculty of Mechanical Engineering, TU Wien in 2000. He is a professor at TU Wien, where he has been the head of the Institute of Mechanics and Mechatronics since 2016. He is a member of the Scientific Board of the Christian Doppler Research Association. He has published over 50 journal articles, over 90 conference papers, and five book chapters, in the field of mechanical engineering.

Matthias Neubauer is a professor at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria for Logistics Information Systems. His research interests cover hyperconnected logistics systems, human–computer interaction, digital supply chains, intelligent transportation systems as well as connected and automated driving. He received his PhD in Business Information Systems in 2013. Matthias teaches in the fields of BPM, distributed systems, knowledge management, and digital transport and logistics management. Beyond, he is involved in international and national research projects.

Wolfgang Schildorfer is a professor for Transport Logistics and Mobility in the Department of Logistics at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. He is involved in the development of interdisciplinary, collaborative RTD projects on transport logistics and mobility. He is also the project leader of the Austrian Lighthouse Project Connecting Austria on automated energy-efficient truck platoons. His research interests are primarily in business Models for CCAM services, innovation in mobility and start-ups.