Deployed Vehicle Fleet

An integral part of the VCC is the vehicle fleet that operates within the corridor.

A fleet of 50 highly instrumented light vehicles was deployed within the Northern Virginia Test Bed starting in 2016 for use in application testing. This vehicle fleet employs private citizen drivers with advanced technology, DSRC-equipped vehicles to test smartphone-based applications and transmit secure information between the vehicles and the connected infrastructure. The advanced technology vehicles include Level 2 automation with features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. The vehicle fleet includes recent models of Teslas, Mercedes, Volvos, Hondas, and Acuras, for example. Each of the vehicles are instrumented with data collection equipment to capture video of the vehicles’ automation features at work as well as driver responses.

There are also five District Department of Transportation (DDOT) safety service patrol (SSP) trucks operating in the area. The SSP trucks collect pothole data as well as road surface and ambient temperature data.

Each deployed vehicle is equipped with an onboard unit (OBU) that facilitates communication via DSRC between the vehicle and the surrounding connected infrastructure. When the vehicles are not within range of a DSRC-equipped RSU, they can communicate using cellular technology.

The vehicle fleet utilizes Android smartphones to allow drivers to interface with the VCC Mobile app, which is appropriate for use while driving. The phones display location-based traveler information messages and allow drivers to interact with the system.

Each vehicle in the fleet can also be monitored in real-time on VCC Monitor when the ignition is on.