Would you trust your life to a trucker?
Commuter 'road trains' of electronically-linked vehicles driving themselves could be with us sooner than we thought, as a new EU-funded research project gets off the ground.
Project SARTRE (Safe Road Trains For The Environment) is being launched to develop and test technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains, potentially improving traffic flow and journey times, reducing accidents and reducing emissions. It is being led by Ricardo here in the UK, and the group also includes the Volvo Car Corporation.
SARTRE was officially inaugurated last month, and their new press release invites us to “imagine leaving home in the morning and, just after joining the motorway, meeting up with a number of other cars which inch up to each other, travelling at normal speed in a close-formation convoy. After a few minutes you can let go of the steering wheel and spend your time reading the morning paper, talking on the phone or watching the TV, while your car drives itself in complete safety and also saving fuel!”
The group’s researchers suggest that road trains can become reality within a decade:
“The first test cars equipped with this technology will roll on test tracks as early as 2011. The vehicles will be equipped with a navigation system and a transmitter/receiver unit that communicates with a lead vehicle. Since the system is built into the cars, there is no need to extend the infrastructure along the existing road network.
“The idea is that each road train or platoon will have a lead vehicle that drives exactly as normal, with full control of all the various functions. This lead vehicle is driven by an experienced driver who is thoroughly familiar with the route. For instance, the lead may be taken by a taxi, a bus or a truck. Each such road train will consist of six to eight vehicles.
“A driver approaching his destination takes over control of his own vehicle, leaves the convoy by exiting off to the side and then continues on his own to his destination. The other vehicles in the road train close the gap and continue on their way until the convoy splits up,” they reckon.
“I do appreciate that many people feel this sounds like Utopia, says Erik Coelingh, technical director of Active Safety Functions at Volvo Cars. However, this type of autonomous driving actually doesn’t require any hocus-pocus technology, and no investment in infrastructure. Instead, the emphasis is on development and on adapting technology that is already in existence. In addition, we must carry out comprehensive testing to verify our high demands on safety.”
Researchers see road trains primarily as a major benefit to commuters who cover long distances by motorway every day, but they will also be of potential benefit to trucks, buses, coaches vans and other commercial vehicle types.