Platooning Advances in Michigan
This story appears in the Sept. 19 print edition of Transport Topics.
The Michigan Senate unanimously approved legislation earlier this month that could make Michigan the first state to allow commercial truck platooning while also eliminating a requirement that someone be inside a self-driving car while testing it on public roads.
State Sen. Rebekah Warren, one of the bill’s sponsors, said she expects the House to pass the legislation later this month and for Gov. Rick Snyder to sign it into law. Once that happens, truck platooning would initially take place at the planned American Center for Mobility at the site of a former General Motors plant in Ypsilanti Township.
“After we test at Willow Run, the next step will be testing on public roads, which is allowed in the bill,” Warren said in an interview with Transport Topics. “The technology is developing so quickly that I think that within five years, you’ll see be seeing pretty significant platooning in Michigan.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army conducted a platooning test on Interstate 69 in Michigan.
The legislation also would change current law that states that autonomous vehicles in Michigan have to have a driver and can only be operated for testing.
“[Michigan-based] General Motors has done some testing in California because they could do it there faster and easier, and we wanted to change that,” Warren said. “We worked with our stakeholders behind the scenes for a year to make sure they were all onboard, not just the OEMs and the technology companies, but our universities, our local government and our state government, and we figured out what the kinks were. We know there are going to be some bumps along the way, but I don’t think we have too many folks who are super nervous about that.”
Willow Run’s 300 acres is 10 times the size of Mcity at the University of Michigan, the closed course where, Warren said, “someone wants to be on that track testing technology every hour of every day.”
Walt Heinritzi, executive director of the Michigan Trucking Association, said his group backs the legislation.
“This is designed to keep Michigan in the forefront of the cutting edge of technology in the automotive industry, and we’re pretty excited about that,” Heinritzi said. ”We’re certainly interested in further research of truck platooning to see if it’s feasible and what the cost savings might be for trucking companies.”
Legislation isn’t needed in many states because they don’t have rules on following distance for trucks. States that do specify following distance typically regulate it at 300 feet.
“We have all four seasons in Michigan, any kind of weather you’ll see elsewhere in the country,” Warren said. “The slippery, icy conditions at the height of winter and the hot conditions in the summer will be great tests of the technology.”
Platooning uses wireless communications to synchronize the braking and acceleration of two trucks, enabling them to travel close enough together to boost aerodynamics and fuel economy, traveling in virtual tandem. The technology has been demonstrated recently in a number of states, but it hasn’t moved beyond the pilot stage anywhere. Missouri’s Legislature overwhelmingly approved a platooning pilot this year, but Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the bill after a person was killed in a crash with a Tesla driving on autopilot.
