'Autonomous Cooperative Platooning for Freight Trucks' Developed Over 4 Years to Be Demonstrated On-site on the 9th

Cargo truck platooning scene (Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 8th that it will hold the final performance presentation of the autonomous cooperative driving-based truck platooning technology development, which has been underway for the past four years, on the 9th. The ministry will also conduct an on-site demonstration with four trucks over a section of about 80 km on the Yeongdong Line and Jungbu Inland Line.

Truck platooning is a technology that uses autonomous cooperative driving to allow following vehicles to automatically follow the lead vehicle at a set distance, operating as a single vehicle.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has been developing this technology from 2018 to this year. Thirteen organizations participated, including Korea Expressway Corporation, Kookmin University, Hyundai Motor Company, Kakao Mobility, and Ajou University, with a budget of 9.85 billion KRW invested.

The final performance presentation will be held online from 2 p.m. It will include a comprehensive explanation of platooning technology, presentations on platooning vehicle control technology, mobile app-based platoon operation service technology, and directions for legal and institutional improvements for the commercialization of platooning.

The technology demonstration is planned to take place on the Yeongdong Line between Deokpyeong IC and Wonju IC, and on the Jungbu Inland Line between Seoyeoju Rest Area and Yeoju JC.

Compared to last year, one more vehicle has been added, increasing the number to four, and the demonstration section has been expanded from 8 km to 80 km. The driving speed has also been increased from 80 km/h to 90 km/h, and the distance between vehicles has been reduced from 15.6 m to 12.5 m.

Once truck platooning is commercialized in the future, it is expected to greatly contribute not only to traffic safety but also to logistics efficiency. Driver fatigue will decrease due to driving automation, and accidents caused by drowsy driving can be drastically reduced.

When multiple trucks maintain a close distance while driving, air resistance decreases, improving fuel efficiency by about 4-8%. At the same time, a reduction in fine dust emissions can also be expected.

Kim Jeong-hee, Director of the Automobile Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Platooning technology is a core technology that can be used not only for logistics transportation but also for passenger transportation," adding, "We will establish a systematic foundation so that this technology can be recognized as a common service in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.