Transport modelling software ready for automated vehicles

How will automated and conventional vehicles interact in the transition period to fully automated vehicle fleets? How can this coexistence be managed and how will future transport models look like? The European research project CoEXist, in which the PTV Group is also involved, is dealing with those questions. After 18 months of work, the multidisciplinary team of 15 project partners has now reported its first major success: The transport modelling software is “automated vehicle-ready”.

Thus, one of the main objectives of the three-year project, funded by the Horizon 2020 framework program of the European Commission, has been achieved. The PTV research team worked closely with partners from Renault, the French institute Vedecom,  TASS International and the University of Stuttgart, supported by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, the city of Helmond in the Netherlands and the University of Florence, Italy. Thanks to this cooperation, simulations were run, enabled by the connection of the control logic of autonomous vehicles from Vedecom, the TASS International software PreScan and the microscopic simulation software PTV Vissim.

Also, field data were collected on the test track in the city of Helmond were TASS International organised a three-day data collection session in a real traffic environment. Furthermore, the data and the car-following behaviour of automated vehicles (AV) were analysed. Based on these results, new features were released in the PTV simulation software and the recommended values were published. Additionally, the results were used by the University of Stuttgart to develop macroscopic modelling scripts.

"CoEXist is an outstanding research project focussing on an important future topic”, says Prof. Dr. Christoph Walther, Head of Global Research at PTV Group. “With this important milestone, we have paved the way to AV-modelling.”

Now that the modelling  software is AV-ready, the four cities involved in CoEXist will model use cases using the microscopic simulation software PTV Vissim and the macroscopic modelling software PTV Visum. In the next steps the CoEXist team will tackle the automation-readiness of road infrastructure and authorities to get ready for the transition towards a shared road network.

About PTV Group

PTV Group takes a holistic approach that integrates all aspects of traffic, transport and logistics to create and promote sustainable mobility. Recognised as global market leader, PTV develops intelligent software solutions for transport logistics, traffic planning and traffic management. Thus cities, companies and people save time and money, enhance road safety and minimise the impact on the environment. Based on its unique expertise in every facet of mobility, PTV ensures that people and goods arrive at their destinations safe and sound, and on time.