Smart platooning of vehicles

A computing system for managing vehicles in platoons, comprising:

• a navigation subsystem, including one or more processors, that maintains navigation data for a set of vehicles located within a location area, the navigation data for each vehicle indicating a travel route for the vehicle, wherein the travel route is currently being traveled by the vehicle or is planned to be traveled by the vehicle;
• a vehicle status monitoring subsystem, including one or more processors, that monitors, for each vehicle of the set of vehicles, a current status of the vehicle, wherein the current status of the vehicle indicates at least a current location of the vehicle;
• a platoon management apparatus, including one or more processors, that selects, based on evaluation of the navigation data and information representing the current statuses of the set of vehicles, two or more vehicles from the set of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles;
• and
• a server subsystem, including one or more processors, that directs the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles,
• wherein the vehicle status monitoring subsystem is further configured to monitor, for each vehicle of the set of vehicles, a power requirement of the vehicle that represents a ratio of an estimated level of power required for the vehicle to travel a predetermined distance and a level of power reserve on the vehicle, and
• the platoon management apparatus is further configured to select the two or more vehicles from the set of vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles based on the power requirements of at least some of the vehicles in the set of vehicles.

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• obtaining, by a computing system and for each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles located within a location area, navigation data that indicates a travel route for the vehicle, a first vehicle of the selected vehicles comprising a base unit and a pod unit, the base unit including (i) a drivetrain and (ii) a motor or an engine for generating automotive power for the first vehicle and the pod unit including a human-occupiable vehicle cabin, the pod unit configured to be detachably connected to the base unit;
• determining, by the computing system and based on the navigation data for the plurality of vehicles, a subset of the plurality of vehicles that are within a threshold distance of each other and have respective travel routes that at least partially overlap;
• selecting, by the computing system and based on a set of selection parameters, two or more vehicles among the subset of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles;
• and
• directing, by the computing system, the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles.

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• obtaining, by a computing system and for each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles located within a location area, navigation data that indicates a travel route for the vehicle;
• determining, by the computing system and based on the navigation data for the plurality of vehicles, a subset of the plurality of vehicles that are within a threshold distance of each other and have respective travel routes that at least partially overlap;
• selecting, by the computing system and based on a set of selection parameters, two or more vehicles among the subset of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles, the set of selection parameters comprising at least one of power requirements of the vehicles, an estimated length or duration of overlapping portions of the respective travel routes of the vehicles, or aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicles;
• and
• directing, by the computing system, the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles.

A computing system for managing vehicles in platoons, comprising:

• a navigation subsystem, including one or more processors, that maintains navigation data for a set of vehicles located within a location area, the navigation data for each vehicle indicating a travel route for the vehicle, wherein the travel route is currently being traveled by the vehicle or is planned to be traveled by the vehicle;
• a vehicle status monitoring subsystem, including one or more processors, that monitors, for each vehicle of the set of vehicles, a current status of the vehicle, wherein the current status of the vehicle indicates at least a current location of the vehicle;
• a platoon management apparatus, including one or more processors, that selects, based on evaluation of the navigation data and information representing the current statuses of the set of vehicles, two or more vehicles from the set of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles;
• a server subsystem, including one or more processors, that directs the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles;
• and
• a data repository that stores data representing a vehicle separation schedule, the vehicle separation schedule indicating at least one of times or locations at which one or more of the selected vehicles are scheduled to separate from the platoon, the platoon management apparatus further configured to determine an arrangement of the selected vehicles with respect to each other in the platoon based at least on the times or locations at which particular ones of the selected vehicles are scheduled to separate from the platoon as indicated by the vehicle separation schedule.

A computing system for managing vehicles in platoons, comprising:

• a navigation subsystem, including one or more processors, that maintains navigation data for a set of vehicles located within a location area, the navigation data for each vehicle indicating a travel route for the vehicle, wherein the travel route is currently being traveled by the vehicle or is planned to be traveled by the vehicle;
• a vehicle status monitoring subsystem, including one or more processors, that monitors, for each vehicle of the set of vehicles, a current status of the vehicle, wherein the current status of the vehicle indicates at least a current location of the vehicle;
• a platoon management apparatus, including one or more processors, that selects, based on evaluation of the navigation data and information representing the current statuses of the set of vehicles, two or more vehicles from the set of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles;
• and
• a server subsystem, including one or more processors, that directs the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles,
• wherein the platoon management apparatus is further configured to determine whether to permit a second platoon of multiple vehicles to join the platoon of vehicles based on at least one of power requirements of vehicles in the platoon or estimated changes in arrival times at one or more locations for one or more vehicles in the platoon that would result from joining the second platoon.