Study on the Influence of Crosswind Angle and Longitudinal Spacing on Buses in a Platoon

Abstract The influences of crosswind angle and longitudinal spacing on bus platoon are studied by methods of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The results show that the wind resistance coefficient of the bus increases first and then decreases with the increase of crosswind angle. The maximum wind resistance coefficient is about 2.3 times of that without crosswind when the crosswind angle is 30°. When buses in a platoon at a crosswind angle of 20°, the pressure increase on the windward side of the rear bus is much greater than that on the windward side without crosswind. This shows that crosswind shortens the distance between the two buses at high fuel economy.