Hyundai has carried out its first platooning of trailer trucks on the Yeoju Smart Highway replicating real-world traffic conditions, using two trailer-connected Xcient trucks.
Yeoju Smart Highway is a 7.7km testbed within the central region expressway established by the Korean government for the development of autonomous driving technology.
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The demonstration featured vehicle platooning, cut-in/out by other vehicles, simultaneous emergency braking and V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) communication tech. The speed limit was set at 60km/h.
“We are confident our autonomous driving technology in commercial vehicles showcased in this platooning truck demonstration will lead to a paradigm shift in the freight and logistics industry,” said Hyundai Commercial Vehicle Electronics Control Engineering Group head, Jihan Ryu.
“We will strive to create constructive synergy by sharing our knowhow and experiences of developing autonomous driving technology between commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle sectors to expedite level-5 autonomous driving technology.”
The demonstration is part of a project started by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). Since 2018, MOLIT has been working to support efforts for autonomous technology. Along with Hyundai Motor Company, this national project involved government, corporations and academia.
Vehicle platooning has the benefit of reducing air resistance to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions, making it an eco-friendly technology.
Platooning starts when the driver of the following truck approaches the leading vehicle and activates platooning mode.
On activation, the following lorry maintains a 16.7m distance, with real-time fine tuning based on the leading vehicle’s acceleration and deceleration. The driver does not need to put his/her foot on the accelerator nor brakes.
The mode also activates lane keeping technology which makes possible for the driver of following truck to take hands off the steering wheel.
With platooning, other vehicles cutting in and out between trucks can also be managed. If a vehicle cuts between the platooning trucks, the following truck automatically extends the gap to minimum of 25m.
When a leading truck makes a sudden emergency stop due to an unexpected situation, the technology responds by enabling the following lorry to decelerate and stop.
The V2V system applied to both trucks in this demonstration showcased how real time information sharing between platooning vehicles can improve control over acceleration and deceleration and also incorporate ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) information from various sensors such as cameras and radar.
Real-time Frontal Video Sharing feature was enabled by V2V technology. By displaying videos from the leading vehicle, the following driver can see the road ahead, solving limitations of forward vision for trailing drivers.
In 2018, Hyundai, in partnership with Hyundai Glovis, completed South Korea’s first domestic highway journey with an autonomously navigated truck for around 40km on the highway between Uiwang and Incheon. The lorry displayed SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers Standard) Level-3 autonomous driving.
