Future Safe Tailgating Could Save Fuel, Cut Emissions
Automated systems that would let cars travel in tight packs would cut drag and therefore fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, highway congestion and road noise. Steve Mirsky reports.
SUBSCRIBE TO Science Quickly
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
If people won’t trade their cars in for bicycles, they can still be environmentally friendly by driving in groups the way cyclists do. In your car, it’s called tailgating, and it’s a terrible idea. But cyclists call it drafting, tucking in right behind another bicycle to cut wind resistance and therefore energy output, and that’s a great idea. And an article in the new issue of the International Journal of the Environment and Pollution theorizes that an automated system that would let cars travel in very tight groups would indeed save fuel, cut greenhouse gas emissions and also cut highway congestion. Especially with fast-developing countries like China and India becoming home to huge numbers of new cars and roads.
Obviously, driving in tight packs of cars isn’t currently a sensible option. But large distances between millions of more cars in the future may also not be a sensible option. And automated systems that would let a driver pull within a few feet of another car would have an additional benefit to both passengers and the environment—less road noise, which is another real drag.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
