Study on Lateral Overlap Rate in Platooning of Connected and Automated Heavy Vehicles

This paper conducts research on the lateral overlap rate of intelligent connected heavy-duty trucks. A heavy-duty truck model from a mainstream autonomous driving company is selected for aerodynamic analysis. Simulation experiments are carried out using STARCCM +, analyzing the aerodynamic drag coefficient and other parameters under different lateral overlap rates. Based on the simulation results, reasonable suggestions for the lateral overlap rate are provided. A platoon driving real-car test is conducted to verify its feasibility, proving that vehicles can achieve better fuel-saving performance and have high feasibility at a lateral overlap rate of over $\mathbf{8 0 \%}$. This study provides a certain reference for the relevant test specifications in various cities.