EU Looks to Road Trains to Ease Congestion on Highways

A research project is underway in the European Union that looks to devise a way that drivers can carpool without having to ride in one vehicle and still get the benefits of fuel savings and fewer accidents. The project is evaluating the use of so-called road trains.

The road train would be controlled by a lead vehicle, likely a professionally driven vehicle like a bus. Wired reports that the project is going by the acronym SARTRE and that no infrastructure investment will be required to enable the road trains.

“By developing and implementing the technology at a vehicle level, SARTRE aims to realize the potentially very significant safety and environmental benefits of road trains without the need to invest in changes to road infrastructure,” project coordinator Tom Robinson said in a statement.

The fuel savings are estimated to be in the area of 20% and drivers in the road train would be able to take their hands of the wheel and sleep or eat while they are driven to their destination in their own vehicle.

“This type of autonomous driving actually doesn’t require any hocus-pocus technology, and no investment in infrastructure,” said Erik Coelingh of Volvo, one of the principal companies participating in the project. “Instead, the emphasis is on development and on adapting technology that is already in existence.”

BBC News reports that the project is being financed by the government as a way to reduce accidents and ease congestion on the highways. Robinson says that the idea is to use off the shelf components to enable vehicles to participate in the road trains. The vehicle setups would require a GPS navigation device and a system to control the steering of the vehicle. Vehicles would be able to enter and leave the road train at any time. The first test vehicles are expected to debut in 2011.

Robinson said, "Each of the vehicles will have their own control and software monitoring system. There may well be a platoon sensor envelope that collates information and presents it to the lead vehicle so it can understand what is happening around all the vehicles."