Crashworthiness Compatibility Investigation of Autonomous Vehicles with Current Passenger Vehicles

Automated Vehicles have been one of the most sought-after concepts to make transportation more effective and safer. No-occupant vehicles with automated driving systems (ADS) make up one such class of vehicles. These are primarily intended for goods transportation services. This vehicle class presents a body structure different than that of a passenger vehicle. Yet, these no-occupant ADS-equipped vehicles are sharing the roads and could potentially be involved in crashes with passenger vehicles. Occupant safety may be compromised if vehicles are not compatible from a crashworthiness perspective. ADS-equipped vehicles should consider appropriate vehicle crashworthiness compatibility given the potential for interactions with vulnerable road users and other vehicle types. Investigation of the level of ADS-equipped vehicle crashworthiness compatibility with human-driven vehicles can lead to more appropriate vehicle designs, as well as more suitable and better passive protection systems for occupants in such crash scenarios. This research project considers finite element crash computer simulation investigation between ADS-equipped and passenger vehicles with the intent to provide a better understanding of the differences in crashworthy behavior of ADS-equipped vehicles.