Lane-Changing Behavior's Impact on Platoon Dispersion in Mixed Autonomous Vehicle Traffic: Insights from Simulation

This research investigates platoon dispersion characteristics in mixed-traffic flow of autonomous and human-driven vehicles. It presents a cellular automata-based platoon dispersion model. The study's key findings are as follows: platoon dispersion initially increases and then decreases with the rise in autonomous vehicle proportions. When the autonomous vehicle proportion is approaching 100%, platoon dispersion descends rapidly and is completely eliminated while the proportion is 100%. Compared to platoon consisting entirely of human-driven vehicles, the peak value of standard deviation of vehicle speed is 1.71 times and the travel time drops by 38.19% when the proportion is 1. Moreover, the lane-changing behavior enhances platoon speed, acceleration, and space utilization at micro- and macrolevels by optimizing space resource allocation within the platoon. The study employs a two-lane mixed-flow platoon dispersion model that assumes uniform vehicle characteristics and prioritizes maximizing travel efficiency for autonomous vehicles. These findings bear significant implications for transportation planning and management, providing valuable insights for policymakers, transportation engineers, and researchers. © 2025 SAE International.