Evaluation of automated electric transportation deployment strategies: Integrated against isolated

Abstract

This study considers deployment paths for automated vehicles, evaluating the new approach of an evolutionary process of isolated deployment. Here, isolated, fully automated systems are developed from the ground-up in areas with the greatest need/ opportunity; over time, such systems can expand and become interconnected. This is an alternative to the integrated deployment strategies developed by the automated highway systems (AHS) program. Tellingly, AHS never settled on a specific deployment strategy because of disagreements among many of its members, but much of the research did include an integrated approach, whereby the technology progresses over time from manual driving to full automation. This study compares the two approaches, arguing that integrated deployment is fundamentally hampered by institutional hurdles and the difficulty of encouraging the large-scale adoption necessary to achieve the most significant benefits of automation, including increased lane capacity and vehicle speed. It proposes that a predominantly isolated approach, accomplished with protocols and standards to allow for eventual interoperability of systems, can offer a superior path forward. This is especially attractive for bus rapid transit applications and electrification via in-motion power, as proposed by the Automated Electric Transportation program. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2013.