Operators planning to replace drivers with autonomous vehicles (AV) may want to put their plans on hold as new research shows AVs may use much more energy than conventional electric vehicles.
A new paper published in Nature, entitled The hidden energy demand of automated mobility, has revealed the findings of a study into the energy efficiency of prototype robotaxis.
The research found that the vehicles use only about 57% of their total power consumption for propulsion, with the rest used for onboard sensing and computing, communications, fleet management and offboard infrastructure, such as video storage and model retraining.
The paper notes: “The findings highlight significant hidden energy costs associated with automation, which can offset expected efficiency gains from electrification.”
Responding to the research, Neil Avent, chief technology officer at fleet software specialist FleetCheck, said: “We’re at the very beginning of fleet adoption of AVs and information about their operational capabilities is extremely limited at the moment.
“However, this paper does suggest there is a significant increase in power consumption from using AV technology, a factor that could play a part in their adoption by fleets.
“Reduced range and the necessity to schedule more frequent charging are key operational considerations.
“They could even be the difference between choosing to use an EV and staying with a conventional vehicle,” he speculated.
While the paper was based on robotaxi use, which differs significantly from commercial fleet use, Avent argues it could potentially have wider implications..
“Robotaxis are the current apex of AV capabilities and use a range of power-hungry equipment but the technology is starting to be seen on a wider range of cars and there has been very little conversation about its impact on energy use.
“While there is not much evidence company cars or vans running Tesla Autopilot-style systems have dramatically higher power demands, it seems reasonable to assume that as they become more sophisticated, they will need more power and perhaps greater attention should be given to measuring this factor.
“In any EV with any level of autonomous technology, power consumption can be split into three categories – movement, climate control, and autonomous equipment such as sensors.
“In the future, fleets may well need to become more conscious of the balance between the three when making vehicle choices.”
Avent added that current robotaxi trials taking place in London would hopefully provide publicly available information providing a window into AV operations.
“There are all kinds of unknowns about the practicalities of using AVs ranging from maintenance arrangements to downtime rates and it would be extremely useful if the companies involved in the trials made their findings accessible to the fleet sector.”
