3-in-1 solution for urban transport

On the streets of all European countries an image of a large car leading the way to 'pull' under a convoy of the rear is like a platoon.

Each such convoy can consist of up to 8 different cars such as cars, buses, trucks. The European Union hopes this idea will help cut fuel, circulation time and especially limit traffic congestion in densely populated cities. The initial test results show that when 'eating' of a top-class car, the following vehicles can cut up to 20% of fuel consumption.

The leading car is controlled by a professional driver, who will monitor the situation of the whole fleet. The drivers of the tails do not need to drive but can read books, watch television while traveling on the highway. Someone will wonder, so who controls the cars behind. The answer is also the first car. It controls the rear 'juniors' through the wireless sensor system.

According to Tom Robinson, project coordinator Sarte of Ricardo Technology, each car is equipped with monitoring and self-control software to collate information and forward to the head car so that it can be captured. The situation is happening in the convoy. Although the city union was connected to each other, the cars behind could enter and separate groups whenever they wanted.

It is known that the Sarte (Safe Road Train for the Environment) project will be implemented in 3 years. Initially will be deployed in test routes in the UK, Spain and Sweden. In addition, Spain also plans to experiment on public roads. It is expected that the first convoy will consist of 2 trucks and 3 cars, excluding the leading vehicle (photo).