Volvo's "Road Train" Runs 125 Miles Without Problems
Have you ever been driving behind some random stranger and just wished that person could take control of your car while you read a book? Me neither, but Europe is apparently full of people who are interested in doing just that. The EU’s Project SARTRE has pioneered the concept of “road trains” in public trials for about half a year now. Their latest test was the most ambitious yet — and it was apparently a complete succcess.
The Register reports that a Ricardo UK/Volvo SARTRE road train successfully negotiated a 125-mile course at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, encountering varying road conditions, grades, and crosswinds.
This video explains the tech behind it:
and more information can be found on the SARTRE homepage. Somewhat ironically, it could be argued that the technology would be far more appropriate for the United States, with its long freeway commutes, than for any European country. If the day ever comes to pass when SARTRE is a reality, look for a white 993 with the friendly bumper sticker: “Let Your Wife Join My Train”.
More by Jack Baruth
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It's a perfectly logical extension of the autonomous car developments. Why not tuck in reasonably close and save some fuel? The cars are going to sense velocity changes in the train at radar speed, so this should be perfectly workable. The Volvo concept using a human-piloted lead vehicle is nice but I'm hoping it's already obsolete.
If this comes to pass, I hope they limit the number of vehicles in a train. A few weeks ago, I went to the office on a Saturday. There were some motorcycles in the middle lane going about 55. No big deal, I thought. I'll just get in the left lane and pass. But the line of motorcycles went on and on. I was about a mile and a half from my exit, and I couldn't see an end in sight. I took it up to about 75 and was able to squeek back over just in time for my exit.
RE: Jack's caption on the first picture. Come on ride the train, take a ride...
Actually, there are times when I wish this was possible: My annual trip from Richmond, VA to Bangor, ME to visit the mother-in-law. Get on I-95, set the system in motion, and pull up a good book for the next sixteen hours, including gas stops. Of course, my willingness to accept this idea is predicated on having the right to switch it off and put my hands on the wheel whenever I want to.