Fuel-Efficient Large-Spacing Truck Platooning in Windy Environments Considering Longitudinal and Lateral Motions

Large-spacing truck platooning offers a balance between operational safety and fuel savings. To enhance its performance in windy environments, this study designs a control system integrating both longitudinal and lateral motions. The longitudinal control module regulates the inter-vehicle spacing within a desired range while generating a fuel-optimal torque profile by minimizing unnecessary decelerations and accelerations. The lateral control module ensures lateral stability and maintains alignment between the trucks to achieve the expected fuel savings. A two-truck platoon is simulated with a 3-sec time gap under varying wind conditions, using experimental data from the on-road cooperative truck platooning trials conducted in Canada. The control system effectively remains spacing errors within the preset safety buffer and limits lateral offsets to 0.07 m, ensuring safe and stable platooning in windy environments. Additionally, the smoother speed profiles and reduced lateral offsets help the follower truck achieve fuel savings of up to 4.2%. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed control system to enable the safe and sustainable deployment of large-spacing truck platooning in real-world windy conditions.