Continental focuses on automated truck convoys

Technology company Continental is developing components and systems for the series launch of the electronic towbar, or platooning, using on an interoperable internet platform, which trucks from different manufacturers and fleet operators can use to form an electronic convoy on the freeway. Braking and sensor data are transmitted wirelessly from the lead vehicle to the following vehicles.
September 5, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Technology company 260 Continental is developing components and systems for the series launch of the electronic towbar, or platooning, using on an interoperable internet platform, which trucks from different manufacturers and fleet operators can use to form an electronic convoy on the freeway. Braking and sensor data are transmitted wirelessly from the lead vehicle to the following vehicles.
 
Continental forecasts that it will be possible to initially reduce the distance between vehicles from 50 to15 metres at a speed of 80 km/h. Its development experts even predict that, in the long term, it will be technically possible to safely reduce this distance to only 10 metres.
 
Drivers in the convoy are supported by automated driving systems. As a first step, Continental is working on the technology for highly automated convoys comprising a lead truck being followed by one or two additional trucks using the electronic towbar.
 
According to Dr Michael Ruf, head of continental’s Commercial Vehicles and Aftermarket, platooning means that the truck, which is electronically coupled to the lead vehicle, consumes up to 15 per cent less fuel thanks to safe slipstreaming. Even the lead vehicle drives up to three percent more efficiently on account of the reduction in air turbulence, he says.
 
Continental believes that if only 50 per cent of the annual mileage of a truck, totalling 150,000 km, was driven in convoy, every coupled truck would be able to save 4,000 litres of diesel per year. One of these convoys would reduce annual fuel costs by over US$10,000 (€9,000) per year and enable the fleet operator to reduce its CO2 emissions by 24 kg per hour with a convoy of three trucks.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Study calls Inrix off-street parking the ‘clear winner’ in US and Europe
    January 21, 2016
    An independent off-street parking benchmark study carried out by automotive technology research firm SBD has concluded that ParkMe, an Inrix company, beat Parkopedia in data accuracy across the key attribute categories in five cities in the US and Germany. According to the study, overall, ParkMe was 12 per cent more accurate than Parkopedia across a set of core attributes that are essential to automakers for customer satisfaction. Most important, ParkMe was 23 per cent more accurate providing the precise
    Read More
  • eCall system interoperability tested and proven
    October 11, 2013
    More than thirty vendors from all over the world gathered at the second eCall Testfest, organised by Ertico-ITS Europe and ETSI to test the interoperability of the vendors’ eCall implementations. The event, hosted by CETECOM, was supported by the HeERO project and the European Commission and proved to be important, not only in terms of attendance numbers, but it also demonstrated that eCall is nearing deployment.
    Read More
  • Israel aspires to ITS-led future
    May 29, 2013
    Shay Soffer, Chief Scientist with the Israel National Road Safety Authority, talks to Jason Barnes about his country’s current ITS outlook and how he sees this developing in the future. Israel ranks alongside countries such as the US and France in the road safety stakes, with an average 7.1 deaths per billion kilometres driven. But at that point the similarities end, as the country’s overriding issue is pedestrian safety. This is driven by several factors, including being a relatively small country where pe
    Read More
  • Reducing congestion essential to help buses meet EU NOX targets
    August 15, 2014
    Tailpipe data firm Emission Analytics has issued a warning to bus and vehicle fleet owners planning to retrofit their vehicles with nitrogen oxide (NOX) reducing equipment, as stringent real-world analysis is need to ensure they meet the EU emission targets. The firm says the Department for Transport (DfT) support for local authorities with up to £500,000 of funding from its £5 million Clean Vehicle Technology Fund is a positive step. However, the methods by which it monitors the NOX produced needs to be
    Read More

Highlighted Content