Eco-Speed Harmonization and Eco-Connected Adaptive Cruise Control applications show results of up to a 22 percent reduction in energy and a 33 percent reduction in travel time.

Detailed modeling and evaluation results of the Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario defined by the Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS) Program .

Date Posted
02/09/2016
Identifier
2015-B01036
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Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario Modeling Report

Summary Information

This study performed modeling of the Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario defined by the Applications for the Environment: Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS) Program. The Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario constitutes six applications that use data available in a connected environment to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions by providing driving feedback, speed advice and by promoting platooning and dedicated "eco-lanes." Two of the seven applications bundled under the Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario were simulated in this modeling effort: Eco-Speed Harmonization (ESH) and Eco-Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (Eco-CACC).

Methodology

Simulation and modeling of the ESH and Eco-CACC applications was conducted on State Route 91 Eastbound (SR-91 E) in Southern California between the Orange County Line and Tyler Street in Riverside. Traffic demands, vehicle mix, origin-destination (OD) patterns and driver behavior for the SR-91 E model network were calibrated to field data collected on a typical weekday in the summer of 2006. With the Paramics microsimulation tool and the EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) emissions estimation tool, individual vehicle movements were modeled per the scenario implemented, allowing for fuel consumption, emissions of vehicles, and average travel times to be accurately estimated. A variety of sensitivity scenarios were modeled, that included varying parameters such as vehicle demand of the network, CV OBE penetration rate, triggering distance for the Eco-CACC application, and intra-platoon clearance for the Eco-CACC application. Following the individual modeling of the two applications, they were combined to function simultaneously within the same modeling environment to assess their compatibility. A baseline model that assumed no application deployment (i.e., CV penetration rate was zero) was also developed from the SR-91 E model and was used for comparison purposes.

Key Findings

Eco-Speed Harmonization (ESH)
  • At a set traffic volume of 25,000 vehicles per hour, varying technology penetration rates from 5 percent to 100 percent led to an increase in savings in energy consumption from 0.1 percent to 4.4 percent.
  • The most significant benefits in terms of energy savings and emissions reduction were obtained when the traffic was heavily congested.
  • Assuming a 100-percent OBE penetration rate, a traffic volume of 25,000 vehicles per hour led to an average travel time reduction of -1.7 percent (a disbenefit) while a traffic volume of 37,000 vehicles per hour led to an average travel time reduction of 1.3 percent.
  • The benefits in mobility were more variable across different technology penetration rates (especially under heavily congested traffic conditions).
Eco-Connected Adaptive Cruise Control (Eco-CACC)
  • With a 100-percent OBE penetration rate and a vehicle clearance of 5 meters, varying traffic volume between 25,000 vehicles per hour and 37,000 vehicles per hour resulted in reduced travel times of 0 percent to 42 percent and reduced energy consumption of 0 percent to 19 percent.
  • With a 100-percent OBE penetration rate and a vehicle clearance of 15 meters, varying traffic volume between 25,000 vehicles per hour and 37,000 vehicles per hour resulted in reduced travel times of 0 percent to 24 percent and reduced energy consumption of 0 percent to 13 percent.
  • Assuming a 100-percent OBE penetration rate, the dedicated eco-lane was 3 percent to 12 percent more energy efficient than the non-dedicated lanes and 3 percent to 26 percent more energy efficient relative to the average baseline scenario lane.
Combined Applications
  • The overall network benefits ranged from 4 percent to 22 percent savings for energy and -1 percent to 33 percent savings for travel time.
  • The combination of ESH and Eco-CACC led to a slight penalty in travel time (up to -1.5 percent) and a small benefit in energy (up to 5 percent) relative to just Eco-CACC testing.
  • At lower traffic volumes, the general purpose lanes experienced a greater energy savings than the dedicated eco-lane because of the small energy needed for platoon formation. In contrast, at the highest traffic volume, the dedicated eco-lane experienced a greater energy savings than the general purpose lanes because of the increased capacity provided by Eco-CACC.
  • Vehicles that chose the dedicated eco-lane received a travel time benefit of more than 10 percent with a slight energy penalty of at most -3 percent relative to vehicles that did not select a dedicate eco-lane.

Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario Modeling Report

Eco-Lanes Operational Scenario Modeling Report
Source Publication Date
12/02/2014
Author
Balaji Yelchuru, Sean Fitzgerel, Sudeeksha Murari, Matt Barth, Guoyuan Wu, David Kari, Haitao Xia, Sashank Singuluri, Kanok Boriboonsomsin
Publisher
U.S. Department of Transportation ITS Joint Program Office-HOIT 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590
Deployment Locations