Volvo, which has been testing variations of its road-train transportation concept with multiple cars and lead trucks since 2009, says the test has been "successfully finalised during 2012."
The SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) concept involves a lead truck piloted by a professional driver, a follow truck and three following light-duty Volvos. In the most recent testing, Volvo was able to achieve consistent speeds of about 55 miles per hour with the cars driving at a four-meter gap. The idea behind SARTRE is that drivers in a group of cars can basically take their eyes (and foot pedals) off the road when driving long distances because their vehicles would become part of a "road train." The cars are kept at steady speeds and safe distances because of technology – cameras, lasers and radar – that's already used for things like lane maintenance, blind spot alarms and adaptive cruise control. In addition to being able to multitask, drivers benefit from achieving fuel economy increases of up to 20 percent better than driving without a car train because of the aerodynamic gains of having the cars drive so close together. Volvo said in late May that it tested the concept on Spain's public roads. The three vehicles followed a truck for about 125 miles at speeds of about 53 miles per hour, all while traveling six meters apart. Despite that success, Volvo has not announced a timeframe for when this concept will be adapted and available for the general public.
Courtesy of autoblog.com
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