Platoon-Based Edge Caching for Efficient Content Delivery in Vehicular Networks

The rapid growth of data-intensive services in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has led to a surge in content demand, posing serious challenges to timely and efficient delivery. Edge Caching (EC) helps reduce delay and bandwidth usage by bringing data closer to users, but it remains insufficient in IoV due to limited onboard storage and unstable connectivity caused by dynamic topologies. Platoons (PLs), with stable topology and shared routes, serve as more reliable caching carriers that help enhance content delivery. Therefore, we propose a Platoon-based Edge Caching framework (PEC), where PLs serve as mobile EC nodes and forward cloud content via Base Stations (BSs). We further design a Platoon-based Optimized Caching and Optimized Matching (P-OCOM) to improve the overall caching utility. The numerical results show that the proposed approach significantly enhances caching performance and reduces delay in Vehicular Edge Caching (VEC) scenarios.