The International Transportation Innovation Center’s closed testbed in Greenville, S.C., will become the test site for a breakthrough research project designed to make connected and automated vehicles up to 20 percent more energy efficient. The project – led by researchers at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) – was recently awarded a $1.16 million grant from the Department of Energy. Using cellular communication and dedicated short range radar (DSRC), researchers plan to design speed and lane selection algorithms “that are anticipative in nature rather than reactive” to reduce unnecessary braking and idling, which wastes fuel.
“This particular project requires a unique vehicle-in-the-loop testbed that augments connected and automated vehicles driving physically with injected simulated or real data interacting on the sensor and control level,” explains ITIC Chief Technology Officer Dr. Joachim Taiber. “ITIC also successfully implemented and tested DSRC technologies for Clemson University in previous project engagements and will leverage this expertise to provide the communication infrastructure to support connected and automated vehicle testing.”
Find more details about the CU-ICAR project in this article from Upstate Business Journal.