Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control at Signalized Intersections Considering Vehicle Queues

• Main Author: Ala, Mani Venkat Sai Kumar
• Other Authors: Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Format: Others
• Published: Virginia Tech 2017
• Subjects: Eco-Cooperative driving; Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control; Connected Vehicles; Traffic Signals; Eco-transportation systems
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78884

Traffic signals typically produce vehicle stops and thus increase vehicle fuel consumption levels. Vehicle stops produced by traffic signals, decrease vehicle fuel economy on arterial roads making it significantly lower than that on freeways. Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (Eco-CACC) systems can improve vehicle fuel efficiency by receiving Signal Phasing and Timing (SPaT) data form downstream signalized intersections via vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The algorithm that was developed in an earlier study provides advisory speed recommendations to drivers to reduce vehicle fuel consumption levels in the vicinity of traffic signalized intersections. The research presented in this thesis enhances the algorithm by adding a queue length estimation component and incorporates the algorithm in the INTEGRATION microscopic traffic simulation software to test the system under varying conditions. The enhanced Eco-CACC algorithm is then tested in a simulation environment considering different levels of connected vehicle (CV) market penetration levels. The simulation analysis demonstrates that the algorithm is able to reduce the vehicle fuel consumption level by as high as 40%. Moreover, the overall benefits of the proposed algorithm is evaluated for different intersection configurations and CV market penetration rates (MPRs). The results demonstrate that for single lane approaches, the algorithm can reduce the overall fuel consumption levels and that higher MPRs result in larger savings. While for multilane approaches, lower MPRs produce negative impacts on fuel efficiency; only when MPRs are greater than 30%, can the algorithm work effectively in reducing fuel consumption levels. Subsequently a sensitivity analysis is conducted. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that higher market penetration rates of Eco-CACC enabled vehicles can improve the environmental benefits of the algorithm, and the overall savings in fuel consumption are as high as 19% when all vehicles are equipped with the system. While, on multi-lane approaches, the algorithm has negative impacts on fuel consumption levels when the market penetration rate is lower than 30 percent. The analysis also indicates that the length of control segments, the SPaT plan, and the traffic demand levels affect the algorithm performance significantly. The study further demonstrates that the algorithm has negative impacts on fuel consumption levels when the network is over-saturated. === Master of Science