Fuel-Efficient Platooning Using Road Grade Preview Information

Platooning is an interesting area which involve the possibility of decreasing the fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles. By reducing the inter-vehicle spacing in the platoon we can reduce air drag, which in turn reduces fuel consumption. Two fuel-efficient model predictive controllers for HDVs in a platoon has been formulated in this master thesis, both utilizing road grade preview information. The first controller is based on linear programming (LP) algorithms and the second on quadratic programming (QP). These two platooning controllers are compared with each other and with generic controllers from Scania. The LP controller proved to be more fuel-efficient than the QP controller, the Scania controllers are however more fuel-efficient than the LP controller