Early Findings from Field Trials of Heavy-Duty Truck Connected Eco-Driving System

In recent years, the development of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology has inspired numerous advanced applications targeted at improving existing transportation systems. As one of the widely studied applications of CAV technology, connected eco-driving takes advantage of Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) information from traffic signals to enable CAVs to approach and depart from signalized intersections in an energy-efficient manner. However, the majority of the connected eco-driving studies have been numerical or microscopic traffic simulations. Only few studies have implemented the application on real vehicles, and even fewer have been focused on heavy-duty trucks. In this study, we developed a connected eco-driving system and equipped it on a heavy-duty diesel truck using cellular-based wireless communications. Field trials were conducted in the City of Carson, California, along two corridors with six connected signalized intersections capable of communicating their SPaT information. Early results showed the benefits of the system in smoothing the speed profiles of the equipped truck when approaching the connected signalized intersections.