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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <item>
      <title>Routing Autonomous Trucks on Dedicated Lanes- Phase 1</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2676007</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Trucks are known to have a significant impact on congestion during traffic peak hours due to their size and slower dynamics. Human operated trucks for freight transport are faced with two constraints: those imposed by the service demand and those imposed by the human driver. For long haul operations, for example, truck drivers must meet the constraints of hours of service. For short haul they have to meet family and personal constraints which often do not allow them to operate during odd hours. With automation the human constraints are removed which opens the way to view truck routing and scheduling under different and more flexible constraints. The major problem faced by automated trucks operating with the rest of traffic, however, is safety as due to the different sizes involved the sensing problem is more challenging and potential accidents can be catastrophic.


Under this project the research team plans to analyze and evaluate the use of automated trucks that will operate on the surface network at times that the traffic demand is very low, so that lanes can be switched dynamically to dedicated automated truck lanes without affecting traffic. By doing so we can keep the automated trucks separated from manually driven vehicles which may be using the network, thereby addressing the issue of safety. This project will address the potential benefits of automated trucks on dedicated lanes operating at low volume traffic hours. In addition, it will extend the approach to automated truck platoons where automation will also lead to significant fuel savings (up to 20%) due to reduction in aerodynamic drag, bringing the potential to lower costs. Moving trucks from times of high congestion to times of no congestion will bring considerable benefits to trucking companies as well as to all other users of the road network, as fewer trucks will be operating during peak traffic hours. In addition, trucking companies that are short of truck drivers will be able to operate without disruptions and without human imposed constraints, saving on labor costs. The team plans to use as an example a network that includes Interstate 710 (I-710) and the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, a route that generates considerable truck traffic. The team will identify the lanes that can be dynamically dedicated to automated trucks at certain hours and estimate the impact on congestion and fuel savings. The team will use real truck and traffic data to validate their traffic simulators which they will then use to run different scenarios.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:31:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2676007</guid>
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      <title>Implementation and Evaluation of Human-in-the-Loop Connected Cruise Control (hCCC)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2447010</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research investigates the implementation of a human-in-the-loop Connected Cruise Control (hCCC) system for enhanced driver safety and fuel efficiency. Unlike existing Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems, hCCC integrates human driver input with V2V communications, addressing the limitations of human driving behavior in mixed traffic conditions. The project will develop the hCCC system using the CARLA simulator for initial testing and Comma 3X hardware for real-world validation. Outcomes are expected to showcase the potential of hCCC to reduce traffic congestion and improve overall roadway safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:57:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2447010</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>NAS Fuel Efficiency Metric Analysis
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1368502</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No summary provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2015 10:52:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1368502</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fuels Deployment</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1363862</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No summary provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:01:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1363862</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Innovative Hydraulic Transmission for Direct and/or Hybrid Applications</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1256827</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary cause of the most severe damage to transportation infrastructure comes from the heaviest vehicles.  Pure electric motor systems have the potential to dramatically lower the weight of these vehicles.  In turn, this would reduce the wear and tear on roads and bridges. These electric systems are also considered "greener" technologies because of the potential to provide necessary emissions reduction and fuel savings.  A key barrier to implementation is the very high torques required to start these vehicles moving, typically beyond the torque available from electric systems.  However, by combining a hydraulic accumulator within the breaking system, one can provide the option of a hydraulically assisted-electric hybrid.  Indeed hydraulics is ideal for such high torque/low speed applications.  Thus the primary goal of this project is to provide proof-of-concept for the integration of hydraulic components into an optimized system that would seamlessly integrate into an electric-hydraulic hybrid vehicle.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 20 Jul 2013 01:01:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1256827</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Studies in Consumers and Automotive Fuel Economy: A Qualitative Field Test of the Effects of Driver Feedback on Automotive Fuel Consumption</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236716</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rising gasoline prices, greenhouse gas emissions, and war in oil-producing regions motivate research on the contribution that energy use feedback to drivers could make to reduce petroleum consumption. The research proposed here examines effects of energy use feedback on household drivers of conventional light-duty vehicles and HEVs. Drivers will be interviewed and commercially available devices will be installed in some drivers' vehicles. This will allow 1) feedback through a consistent interface to all drivers in the sample and 2) a comparison of the experimental feedback to any feedback mechanism already in any of the vehicles. The experiment will be run over several months; this will limit the sample size. Therefore, this qualitative research is expected to produce insights into specific types of driver feedback and to produce the requisite knowledge to design and deploy a larger scale study to produce estimates of generalizable effects.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:51:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236716</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Drag Reduction Proof of Principal Research</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236226</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The dust suppression project that was funded last year through the University Transportation Centers (UTC) discovered that the feasibility of drag reduction for large vehicles is feasible through extensive wind tunnel testing. Although the project was not able to test the full scale version on a trailer due to time and financial restraints, valuable data and insight was gained for future large scale testing. This project will utilize the knowledge gained from the dust suppression research and try to validate their findings on a full scale trailer. If time and money permits, flaps will be attached to the trailer to try to quantify the amount of fuel savings on a vehicle of that size.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:43:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1236226</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Studies to Support Global Climate Change Initiative</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234487</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is ever increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impacts associated with transportation. A key focus area at the moment is the reduction of carbon emissions. This together with increasing costs of gasoline and potential implementation of tolls and congestion taxation will place additional demands on public transport. Changes will need to be made to infrastructure designs to accommodate these demands and address the need for changes in vehicle composition on roads. These studies will use Life Cycle Analysis to evaluate the impact on emissions from changes in traffic and use of the pavement infrastructure, and changes in the Department's pavement design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation practices, and use of recycled materials existing in in-place roads and from other sources. The results will be used to provide recommendations to the Department for changes it can make in its practices to reduce carbon emissions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:13:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234487</guid>
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