Latency & Energy Efficiency: A comparative study for Autonomous Vehicles

In the realm of sustainable autonomous driving, this study investigates the impact of network disturbances on autonomous vehicle behavior and maneuvering, along with the influence of vehicle maneuvering profiles on battery and fuel consumption. Firstly, we present preliminary data and initial findings regarding the impact of autonomous vehicle brake and speed profiles on battery consumption. Secondly, we provide a detailed evaluation of network disturbances, particularly latency, on autonomous vehicle behaviors and profiles, leveraging CARLA simulations and NETEM to emulate network disruptions. Key metrics such as Time to Collision and Safe Stop Distance serve as primary indicators to assess AV behavior under constant and variable latency conditions. Early results indicate that sharp speed reductions and abrupt braking correlate with increased battery consumption in autonomous electric shuttles, with a 1.9% overall increase in battery consumption in case of frequent stops with hard braking in autonomous mode. Additionally, our simulations underscore the adverse effects of network disturbances on the vehicle’s ability to maintain safe stopping distances and time to collision in waypoint following and car following behaviors respectively. Notably, even a modest latency of 5ms extends the duration of collision risk zones by 28%, compelling vehicles to frequently apply brakes in car following behaviour. Overall, our investigations underscore that constant latency exerts a more pronounced effect on desired vehicle stop behavior, while variable latency presents a more formidable challenge by adversely impacting time to collision in car following behavior.