In the seat

I climbed up the steps into the cab, and into the surprisingly springy driver’s seat. Behind the almost horizontal steering wheel was a vast array of switches and dials, displaying the state of various truck systems; standard fare for a big-rig. The only obvious sign that this truck packed more advanced features were half-metre-long antennaes on the large shiny wing mirrors, and a display on the windscreen. Mounted high, where a rear-view mirror would normally be, was a computer tablet.

The principle behind the technology Peloton is working on is simple enough to anyone with even a passing interest in competitive cycling. If you have ever watched a long race like the Tour de France, you will have seen the riders cluster in a group – the peloton. That cuts wind resistance for the riders in the pack, and they can make more progress with less energy. The same applies in the truck world. Platooning vehicles can save the trailing vehicles a lot of energy, and the front one benefits too because it decreases turbulence left in a large vehicle’s wake, which negatively impacts aerodynamics. Peloton (the company) is developing technology which would allow trucks to form two vehicles platoons, driving far more closely to each other than human drivers would be able to, to cut fuel use and emissions.

The trucks have already carried thousands of miles of tests in Texas (Peloton Technology)
The company claims that real-world road tests show that platooning technology saves 10% fuel costs for the rear truck and 4.5% for the lead truck. Fuel costs in the US now account for 40% of operating costs for fleets, so the savings can be substantial.

Close contact

There is no physical link between the trucks, and yet they travel between 23m and 6m (75ft and 20ft) apart. That compares to a recommended distance of several hundred feet for a human driver because of our slow reaction times.

In the rear vehicle, the tablet shows a driver’s-eye-view from the front truck, so the driver behind can keep an eye on what is going on ahead. Or, in the front truck the driver can have a drivers-eye view from the rear truck. That might sound like a rather uninteresting view of the back of his own truck at close quarters, but it also gives a very clear view of his blind spots, so it can be used to improve safety PARENTS SHOULD HELP KIDS WITH MONEY PLANS weeks of criticism for a detached response joué le grand jeu presque insupportable poor dietary choices determine what we eat devout and his religious convictions.