A27 Model Predictive Control of a Platoon for Optimal Fuel Consumption Based on Vehicle Aerodynamics

The studies of fuel saving aspects and vehicle control for optimum consumption have recently received tremendous attention from researchers in the field of transportation systems. This paper presents an enhancement of the idea that is applied for the centralized control of a platoon of vehicles to optimize overall fuel consumption. Model predictive control of the vehicles, incorporating vehicle-aerodynamics in the state formulation, ensures optimum consumption of the platoon even while driving them from unsteady situations. Performance of the proposed platooning system is evaluated through simulations. Simulation results consisting of fuel saving characteristics of the vehicles on a typical driving scenario are graphically illustrated, analyzed and compared to signify the merits of the proposed system.