Control of Heavy-Duty Trucks: Environmental and Fuel Economy Considerations

In this project we investigate the effect of heavy-duty trucks, equipped with different Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems, on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. The sluggish dynamics of trucks whether manual or ACC that is due to their limited acceleration capabilities filter speed disturbances caused by leading vehicles and lead to beneficial effects on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. This response however may lead to higher travel times in certain situations as well as invite cut-ins from neighboring lanes causing additional disturbances. A new ACC design that is developed and experimentally tested reduces some of the negative effects of trucks in mixed traffic.