Connected Car
SwRI received a $3.2 million award from the DOE’s Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) initiative to study the energy impact of potential smart infrastructure solutions on overall traffic. The SwRI team evaluated the average energy consumption of several passenger vehicles from different manufacturers. The researchers evaluated the overall traffic energy efficiency of eco-driving-enabled vehicles with dynamometer testing, automated vehicles driving on a test track and computer models that simulated the different traffic corridors. “As we introduce more CAVs into traffic, we see that the roadway efficiency improves enough to, under the right conditions, reduce overall energy consumption by 15% without affecting trip time and traffic flow. SwRI’s NEXTCAR project is currently in its second phase aiming to achieve a 30% reduction in energy consumption.