Cutting on congestion leading to fuel saving and lessening of greenhouse gas emissions has been the crying demand of the environmentalists for decades, with the global climate-threats rising.
Amidst these buzzwords, needed to help heal the ailing planet, ‘platooning’ — an automated way that allows cars to drive much closer to each other in heavy moving traffic – is gaining importance.
The growing population, industries and transports are leaving less and less scope to build more roads or improve public transport. So, the ‘automated highway systems’ seems to the most effective answer to tackling these growing problems.
Traffic congestion is simply more pollution and lower fuel efficiency, hence triggering global warming. Though keeping safe distance while driving is needed, it also means more tailgate turbulence and increased drag on each vehicle.
So, a team of Indian researchers claim that the ‘drag on four vehicles’ platoons’ can be reduced by cars’ moving in the same direction separated by a meter, thus saving fuel.
But, what is needed for this, is adding sensors and safety controls that allow vehicles to drive at such a small separation is possible.
So, car manufacturers gear up. on the lines of these concerns, the transport policies of congested countries like India and China may soon allow such a ‘platooning system’ to operate.
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