This proposed project will take the next evolutionary step by using the full research vehicle fleet of five vehicles equipped with the added cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) functionality, in live traffic, to test existing and new algorithms. The current project has built, on a small scale, the framework to begin an exploration of the technical needs and mobility effect/benefits in the real world. This proposed project will expand the understanding of the real world performance and capabilities. The strategic role of this project is to advance the speed harmonization application on the automation roadmap. The goal of this project is to further the study of speed harmonization through longitudinal control using automation.

Goals:

• Speed harmonization can provide smooth operation of the traffic stream, which reduces bottlenecks, increases reliability, environmental benefits, improves safety, and provides additional comfort and convenience.
• Infrastructure can provide speed recommendations to individual vehicles on the corridor in order to optimize the network performance. This may be done as a speed advisory or in an automation framework where the optimal recommendations are placed directly into the vehicle control systems without driver interaction.

• Operations

• FY 2002-2022 / Operations / Automation and Connectivity