'Road trains' get ready to roll

[M II A II R II K]

'Road trains' get ready to roll


9 November 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8349923.stm

Road trains that link vehicles together using wireless sensors could soon be on European roads.

- An EU-financed research project is looking at inexpensive ways of getting vehicles to travel in a 'platoon' on Europe's motorways. Each road train could include up to eight separate vehicles - cars, buses and trucks will be mixed in each one.

- The EU hopes to cut fuel consumption, journey times and congestion by linking vehicles together. Early work on the idea suggests that fuel consumption could be cut by 20% among those cars and trucks travelling behind the lead vehicle.

- The lead vehicle would be handled by a professional driver who would monitor the status of the road train. Those in following vehicles could take their hands off the wheel, read a book or watch TV, while they travel along the motorway. Their vehicle would be controlled by the lead vehicle.

The driver's sat-nav indicates that there is a road train ahead that is following some of his/her planned journey.

The driver approaches the road train, which is controlled by a professional driver at the front, and indicates that he/she wishes to join.

The road train takes control of the extra car, pulling it close to cut air drag and save about 20% in fuel consumption.

The drivers can relax until they wish to leave the road train, at which point they signal their intention to the driver at the front.

A bigger gap will be made to allow the car to leave and control of the vehicle will be returned to that driver.

 

[andomano]

It's always somewhat ironic when gas consumption is thought to be reduced while adding another vehicle to the road.

This idea sounds like it takes the fun out of driving.

 

[Swarley]

Who would pay for this professional driver? Sounds a bit ridiculous overall..

 

[CookieMonster]

This idea will work, because only expensive luxury cars will have the computers to do this, and the people who buy those are the same people who need to save 20% on gas. Especially on the freeways where fuel economy is so much worse than stop and go city traffic.

 

[TOareaFan]

too bad it would not work in Ontario as once your car is moving you are forbidden to press any buttons on your sat nav system....you could speed up, wave a flag at the lead driver, make the "train pull over" and then join in....but you can't signal with the button on your dashboard

 

[kettal]

... so it's like a car pool, but you have to bring your own car.

 

[Second_in_pie]

Cool in theory, but so, so stupid in practice.

 

[DavidJamesTO]

If anything, countries should be introducing more of these road trains.

 

[afransen]

This idea is way nuttier than PRT. If we're serious about this, I'd rather see $1 billion in R&D plowed into PRT.

 

[kEiThZ]

I think by professional drivers they meant truck drivers and the like. It's a cool idea but way to difficult to pull off in practice. You'd have to have so many cars retrofitted with the right control systems.

 

[Komiksulo]

And I thought this was going to be about this kind of road train.

 

[afransen]

Even from a safety perspective, this can never fly in mixed traffic (automated and manual on the same roadway). Imagine a driver is sticking a trying to find a song on their iPod and looked away from the road long enough to swerve into one of these car trains. Instant pile-up, since there is no room from brick-wall braking. Add in less than perfect traction and disasters might be quite common. Yeah, the more I think about it, PRT is way, way less nutty than this.