The world’s largest test of the possibility of saving fuel by networking vehicles took place in the USA.
Rutgers University-Camden collaborated on the test Nissan, Toyota, General Motors, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and several other universities. The CIRCLES consortium was formed. In the middle of the month, they practiced together in the world’s largest traffic experiment.
The researchers tested a cruise control controlled by an AI on 100 specially equipped vehicles from the participating manufacturers. The aim was to save fuel in order to relieve traffic. Can the AI avoid traffic jams better than humans?
The experiment was conducted on a section of Interstate 24 near Nashville, the I-24 MOTION Testbed. Numerous sensors were installed there. The results were compared to a previous study. A single vehicle controlled by the AI allowed fuel savings of 40 percent.
The data is now fully evaluated. But it became clear that a single vehicle equipped with ACC (adaptive cruise control) can change the driving behavior of 20 surrounding cars.