A Sequence Change Algorithm in Vehicle Platooning for Longer Driving Range

Platooning technology, the linking of two or more trucks traveling together in convoy through the wireless connection and autonomous driving technology, has been recently getting interested as it potentially reduces fuel consumption and emission, a globally concerned subject for many decades, and enhances road safety, thus achieving efficient and safe transport. Recent studies have proved that driving in platoons with a safe small inter-vehicle distance significantly reduces fuel consumption as a consequence of reduced aerodynamic drag. Reducing fuel consumption means a longer driving range, which is particularly valuable for electric vehicles since it takes more time to recharge the battery. By exploiting the different fuel consumption rates of vehicles in different positions in a platoon, this paper proposes efficient sequence change algorithms to increase the driving range of the platoon. The proposed methods change sequences of trucks in such a way that each one can consume almost the same amount of fuel until fuel shortage. Through simulations, we show that our proposed algorithms help improve fuel-saving, thus increasing the driving range of the platoon compared to the one without sequence change.