Evaluate the Multieffectiveness of the Connected Mixed Platoon in a Car‐Following Event

The connected mixed platoon, comprising a human‐driven leading vehicle and connected autonomous following vehicles, serves as a feasible transitional solution preceding the widespread implementation of the fully connected autonomous platoon. However, due to experimental risks and implementation challenges, limited attention has been paid to the driving performance of the human‐driven leading vehicle and its impact on the mixed platoon’s overall effectiveness. Therefore, this study developed a connected mixed platoon test platform leveraging the strengths of driving simulation technology. Five vehicles were selected to form the platoon, and 36 participants were invited to conduct experiments. This study focused on freeway car‐following events to evaluate the multieffectiveness of mixed platoons from five dimensions: efficiency, safety, ecology, stability, and comfort. The results indicated that this connected mixed platoon mode has the best effectiveness performance. This mode leads to a 17.83% improvement in travel time, a 73.21% reduction in speed safety entropy, a 10.72% decrease in fuel consumption, an 84.21% enhancement in driving stability, and a 49.05% improvement in riding comfort. This study assists traffic management and environmental authorities in grasping the driving performance of the human‐driven leading vehicle, understanding the impact of the emerging transport mode of connected mixed platoons on the traffic operation environment, and providing data support for the formulation of policies related to connected mixed platoons.