Connected and automated vehicle systems: Introduction and overview

This paper provides an introduction to the history and concepts of connected and automated vehicle systems. Connected vehicle (CV) systems have been an important focal point for the intelligent transportation systems program for a while already, based on their ability to support a wide range of ITS applications and to knit vehicles and infrastructure elements into a well-integrated transportation system. Automated vehicle (AV) systems have had a longer and more turbulent history, with a recent upsurge of interest sparked by Google's initiative. The AV interests have had a strong element of technology push, but this paper shows how the AV systems can improve transportation system operations when they are combined with CV systems. The general-interest media and internet have tended to confound CV and AV systems with each other, but this paper disentangles them to explain their differences as well as their potential synergies.