Shared Low-Speed Autonomous Vehicle System for Suburban Residential Areas

Yefang Zhou, Hitomi Sato and Toshiyuki Yamamoto
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Yefang Zhou: Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648601, Japan
Hitomi Sato: Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648601, Japan
Toshiyuki Yamamoto: Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4648601, Japan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: In the context of global suburbanization and population aging, a low-speed, automated vehicle (LSAV) system provides essential mobility services in suburban residential areas. Although extensive studies on shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) services have been conducted, quantitative investigations on the operation of suburban LSAV systems are limited. Based on a demonstration pilot project of an autonomous vehicle called “Slocal Automated Driving”, we investigated the performance of an SAV system considering several scenarios in Kozoji Newtown, a suburban commuter town in Japan. The agent-based simulation results revealed that 40 LSAVs can satisfy the demands of 2263 daily trips with an average wait time of 15 min. However, in the case of a high-speed scenario, the same fleet size improved the level of service (LOS) by reducing the average wait time to two and a half minutes and halving the in-vehicle time. By contrast, the wait time in terms of the average and 95th percentile of the no-sharing ride scenario drastically deteriorated to an unacceptable level. Based on the fluctuations of hourly share rates, wait times, and the number of vacant vehicles, we determined that preparing for the potential fleet insufficiency periods from 7:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:00 can improve the LOS.

Keywords: shared autonomous vehicles; low-speed automated vehicles; suburban areas; agent-based simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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