Digital Twins for a Connected Vehicular Network: A Road Toward a Sustainable Future

In recent years, there has been considerable global attention towards prioritizing energy efficiency as a pivotal roadmap for sustaining globalization. As the global community becomes more interconnected, by concurrently addressing energy efficiency, safety, and security concerns, the highways can evolve into sustainable corridors that can serve as a model for responsible and resilient globalization. The increasing interest in targeting energy efficiency within this context reflects a collective commitment to shape a future where mobility is not only efficient but also environmentally conscious and secure. In such circumstances, the preservation of quality-of-service (QoS) for the vehicular network within future-generation networks poses a considerable challenge. This challenge stems from the heightened mobility of vehicles and the inherent heterogeneity of vehicular data computing devices, each characterized by divergent QoS requirements. In accordance with technological advancement, the digital twin network (DTN) emerges as a prospective technology for addressing contemporary challenges. The introduction of the DTN signifies the convergence of actual and virtual networks, facilitating seamless collection of data from sensors embedded in connected vehicle networks. This data is subsequently subjected to analysis, enabling automated decision-making processes that aspire to elevate the driving experience, enhance on-road safety, and reduce CO2 emissions and travel delays. Notably, these objectives are pursued while upholding the QoS within the vehicular network. In this article, we present an emergency maneuver planning framework that provides driving mode advice to the drivers for sustainable solution to enhance safety and security on the road while meeting QoS metrics. The efficiency of the proposed framework is validated by comparing the obtained results with those of non-DTN scenario.