A Holistic Approach to the Energy-Efficient Smoothing of Traffic via Autonomous Vehicles

The technological advancements in terms of vehicle on-board sensors and actuators, as well as for infrastructures, open an unprecedented scenario for the management of vehicular traffic. We focus on the problem of smoothing traffic by controlling a small number of autonomous vehicles immersed in the bulk traffic stream. Specifically, we aim at dissipating stop-and-go waves, which are ubiquitous and proven to increase fuel consumption tremendously and reduce. Our approach is holistic, as it is based on a large collaborative effort, which ranges from mathematical models for traffic and control all the way to building infrastructures capable of measuring energy efficiency and providing real-time data. Such an approach allows to clearly set and measure a metric for success in the form of a reduction of at least 10% of fuel consumption using 5% of autonomous vehicles immersed in bulk traffic. The chapter illustrates the overall approach and provides simulation results on a tuned microsimulator for the California I-210.