Analysis on Stability and Maximum Service Flow Rate for Mixed Traffic Flow with Connected Vehicles

This paper analyzed the stability of traffic flow mixed with connected manual vehicles, and the impact of different connected vehicle market penetration rate on maximum service flow rate. Based on the car-following characteristics, the car-following models of the connected vehicle and the regular vehicle were established and the general method of the stability analysis of the mixed traffic flow was proposed. Based on the macroscopic methodology of HCM2010, the maximum service flow rate under different market penetration rate was obtained.The results show that connected vehicles can improve the stability and the maximum service flow rate of traffic flow.The mixed traffic flow will be stable at any equilibrium speed if the connected vehicle market penetration rate is greater than 0.51.Moreover, a connected vehicle is more significant for the improvement of traffic flow stability at high density or low equilibrium speed. Besides, compared with the traffic capacity of regular vehicles, it can be promoted by 63.64% when the traffic flow is consisted of connected vehicles.The improvement of the maximum service flow rate of mixed traffic flow is more obvious, when the connected vehicle market penetration rate greater than about 0.5.In addition, when the connected vehicle market penetration rate is higher, the increase is greater.