Platoon formation maximization through centralized routing and departure time coordination

1 Platooning allows vehicles to travel with small intervehicle distance in a coordinated fashion thanks 2 to vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity. When applied at a larger scale, platooning will create signifi3 cant opportunities for energy savings due to reduced aerodynamic drag, as well as increased road 4 capacity and congestion reduction resulting from shorter vehicle headways. However, these poten5 tial savings are maximized if platooning-capable vehicles spend most of their travel time within 6 platoons. Ad hoc platoon formation may not ensure a high rate of platoon driving. In this paper we 7 consider the problem of central coordination of platooning-capable vehicles. By coordinating their 8 routes and departure times, we can maximize the fuel savings afforded by platooning vehicles. The 9 resulting problem is a combinatorial optimization problem that considers the platoon coordination 10 and vehicle routing problems simultaneously. We demonstrate our methodology by evaluating the 11 benefits of a coordinated solution and comparing it with the uncoordinated case when platoons 12 form only in an ad hoc manner. We compare the coordinated and uncoordinated scenarios on a 13 grid network with different assumptions about demand and the time vehicles are willing to wait. 14 Sokolov, Larson, Munson, Auld, and Karbowski 2