Scania tests truck platooning

Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen, along with representatives of the European Commission, recently took part in test drive of truck platooning on the A28 in the Netherlands. The convoy consisted of three Scania R500 Streamline trucks; the steering was done by truck drivers, but speed and braking were controlled by the front truck using wi-fi technology. The plan is to have fully self driving trucks in the future. This method of coupled drive, based on adaptive cr
February 11, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
RSS

Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen, along with representatives of the 1690 European Commission, recently took part in test drive of truck platooning on the A28 in the Netherlands.

The convoy consisted of three 570 Scania R500 Streamline trucks; the steering was done by truck drivers, but speed and braking were controlled by the front truck using wi-fi technology. The plan is to have fully self driving trucks in the future.

This method of coupled drive, based on adaptive cruise control, provides significant fuel savings. "With two second gap it is possible to save five per cent of diesel per truck. That is significant especially when you consider that fuel costs are 27 per cent of the total cost of transport." suggested Lars- Gunnar Hedström, head of product development at Scania. According to Hedstrom, another advantage of platooning is a reduction in traffic congestion. "Because trucks driving close to each other, there may be more cars on the road. The traffic flow is better, with less congestion.”

Dutch laws and regulations will have to be changed to allow full scale testing of self-driving trucks and vehicles, but Minister Schultz was positive about platooning and suggested that the Netherlands should take a leading role. "Self-propelled vehicles offer great opportunities to make our mobility easier, safer and cleaner, it is important that we learn by doing. She called on manufacturers, research institutes and governments to consult with each other to promote the development of self-propelled vehicles in Europe.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Driver aids make inroads on improving safety
    November 12, 2015
    In-vehicle anti-collision systems continue to evolve and could eliminate some incidents altogether. John Kendall rounds up the current developments. A few weeks ago, I watched a driver reverse a car from a parking bay at right angles to the road, straight into a car driving along the road. The accident happened at walking pace, no-one was hurt and both cars had body panels that regain their shape after a low speed shunt.
    Read More
  • The red light camera choice: 60 killed or save US$231 million a year
    June 5, 2015
    David Crawford investigates new cost-benefit analysis of red light cameras. US states can now realistically calculate the economic benefits of using red light safety cameras, alone or in combination with other measures, to cut road traffic accident levels. The results could be of material value in making the case for the cameras as a number of state legislatures continue to debate their acceptability.
    Read More
  • European ecoDriver project reports results
    March 17, 2016
    After over four years of work, the European ecoDriver project has released its first results. The project trials involved 170 drivers in seven countries, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and UK, both in controlled and naturalistic environments testing nine different eco-driving support systems. Despite minor variations in terms of percentage, the findings showed that overall, across all the systems, reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 have an average of 4.2 per cent with the highest
    Read More
  • ARTBA proposes path to breaking gridlock on transportation funding
    March 13, 2015
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has outlined a detailed proposal it believes could end the political impasse over how to fund future federal investments in state highway, bridge and transit capital projects. The ‘Getting beyond gridlock’ plan would marry a 15 cents-per-gallon increase in the federal gas and diesel motor fuels tax with a 100 per cent offsetting federal tax rebate for middle and lower income Americans for six years. The plan, ARTBA says, would fund a US$401 bil
    Read More

Highlighted Content