Platooning for Sustainable Freight Transportation
From Digital Culture & Society
Contents |
[edit] Article Reference
Sivanandham, S., & Gajanand, M. S. (2020). Platooning for sustainable freight transportation: an adoptable practice in the near future? Transport Reviews, 40(5), 581–606. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2020.1747568
[edit] Find Article Online
https://web-s-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.brocku.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=5685916b-9d4b-46cb-ae92-01eb46b158ae%40redis D.O.I: 10.1080/01441647.2020.1747568
[edit] Context
This article focuses on the impact platooning, a form of transportation practice, has on an environmental level and its effects on sustainable research for the future. The purpose of the study is to determine whether regulating the behavior of the transportation industry can reduce the total carbon emissions produced by the transportation industry and its economical impact on the lives of individuals within a city or nation. In the best interest of the EUs pursuit to reduce total carbon emissions, the transportation industry aims to use the framework from studies such as this article to better pivot themselves toward becoming more efficient in transporting goods across the continent. A goal established by the article is to determine whether platooning is an adoptable practice for the near future, referring to a time frame of 2020 to 2030. Using aerodynamics,driver aids, fuel consumption estimations, and human factor considerations are methods highlighted to best understand what observations to expect when platooning is used in reality.
[edit] Overview
Studies show that 75 percent of freight tonnage moved in the European Union depends on roadways(p.581). Major challenges arise due to the sheer growth in transportation necessary in nations across the world to continue operating at a healthy state. These challenges include fuel costs, congestion, environment issues, economy, hours of service, government regulations, and driver shortages. Each listed issue is either impacted due to the current practices of trucking and transportation across a nation and equally impacts transporting operations as whole, requiring a resolution that can reduce the negative effects transportation has. Transportation is a backbone for an economy as goods are sent and received from other nations, ensuring trade integrity is held and a nation's citizens are supported economically through obtainable goods and jobs. The main question raised in this article is (1) Whether platooning can effectively counteract the negative implications transportation has entirely, alongside identifying (2) Is platooning an adoptable practice for the future, and finally (3) How impactful similar transportation research is for the industry.
[edit] Strengths & Weaknesses
Beginning with the strengths of the article, great care was taken to observe each direct impact platooning may have and why it would be desirable to regulate transportation to adopt the practice. Valuing the ability for platooning to integrate with emerging solutions for sustainable transportation is key to further development in a reliable solution as it proposes a solution that is effective specifically in the current time but rather applicable to future breakthroughs. Discussion such as the use of autonomous driving, present now even in passenger vehicles, is forward thinking as the technology is already applicable in similar use cases (e.g. air transportation with autopilot, private passenger vehicles). The use of figures to describe lane capacity utilized when platooning is effective versus standard usage communicates a visual understanding of the practice in action. Another strength of the article is the use of scientific studies to support the practice. The Computational Fluid Dynamics study by Zhu and Yang gives insight into the effects of aerodynamics on environmental impact by reducing fuel usage. Analyzing the drag coefficient of trailing trucks in a platoon scientifically supports claims of reduced fuel consumption, thus providing solid proof for the findings to be used at an industry level for future implications. Although the strengths of the article provide for an excellent read, there are however a few notable weaknesses. One weakness is the reliance on future implication of the practice to prove its relevance. The article has a tendency to wrap up observations on the general pros of the practice by repeatedly mentioning “further research is required to conclude…”(p.593). Lacking outcomes for the practice may raise more questions than answer the stated questions for readers.
[edit] Assessment
The topic of platooning and regulation of transportation for the sake of positive economical and environment impacts is effectively analyzed within the text. A thought provoking and educational read that dives deep into the sciences behind affect transportation. The information on the surface can appear negligible to benefiting current day problems of tackling climate change, however provides meaningful studies that prove research done in fields such as computational fluid dynamics. All together, the article answers that (1) platooning is indeed effective in reducing the carbon footprint and other problems that rise from transportation, (2) the adaptability platooning possesses for future implication, and (3) the push toward developing sustainable transportation practices can lead to a more efficient industry.
Dm19wj 18:28, 1 December 2023 (EST)
Please consider the environment before
printing this page.