Recommendations on regulatory framework and standardisation proposals based on COMPANION project

Two of the obstacles for the deployment of heavy-duty vehicle platooning on public roads is given by the absence of EU legislation and common standards. This study includes a presentation to the most influential groups involved in discussing autonomous driving and their work, which has had an important role inside the European FP7 funded project COMPANION. Then, an analysis is performed on the current state of EU and local regulations related to platooning, and some recommendations are given to deal with the new necessities that have been detected and created along the COMPANION project duration. Finally, the paper presents standardisation proposals based on the analysis along the project. For platooning to become a reality, there is still much work to be done. The differences between the different standards developing organizations reveal a need for standardisation, and future regulation is under discussion and will be influenced by the technical evolution of vehicles, the acceptance by other road users, and the implication of manufacturers and authorities.