ZF and truck OEMs ready cross-brand platooning for series start
In platooning, two or more trucks are coupled together to form a convoy that travels close together at very short distances. Because this reduces air resistance for the following vehicles, truck manufacturers expect fuel savings of up to 20 percent. The small distances involved in platooning are possible because the wireless networking of the vehicles means that reaction times of the drivers do not have to be taken into account. The vehicles are designed to brake and steer almost in real time in the same way as the lead truck. However, the following trucks do not follow blindly. Thanks to sensor information and autonomous driving functions, they can keep their lane even if the lead vehicle unintentionally crosses the road markings.
The vehicle supplier ZF is currently testing the practical suitability of platooning in several projects: In the EU initiative ENSEMBLE, the Group is testing the necessary standards to enable multi-brand platooning, i.e. convoys consisting of vehicles from different manufacturers. Such mixed convoys will probably be the most common application. As part of the ENSEMBLE project, ZF uses near-series technologies: A set of radar and camera sensors, the system-capable electrohydraulic ReAX steering system, and the TraXon transmission system. The data fusion and analysis is performed by ZF’s computer platform ProAI. From this, the computer determines the driving commands for steering, transmission, and brakes.
In another project (aFAS), ZF was involved in the implementation of platooning for so-called safety vehicles for travelling construction sites on motorways. ZF is currently testing platooning in Europe and will continue to do so in North America in the coming years.
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