Investigating the state of connected and autonomous vehicles: A literature Review

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) are expected to be deployed in the near future, however it is still not clear whether the technology will provide more benefits than it will present drawbacks. This study aims to collate the research already completed in this domain and highlight an area of knowledge which is currently lacking sufficient investigation. The review shows that there is a wide range of topics and sub-topics covered in this area. We focused mainly on three key sub-topics that had fewest studies: adaptive tolling systems, autonomous parking facilities and predicting adoption over time. Past work on adaptive tolling has predominantly modelled situations where the traffic condition is uniform, whereas the impact of dynamic traffic and unexpected events or incidents has not yet been considered. Studies on autonomous parking facilities need to focus more on closely simulating normal operating conditions, such as having multiple operational vehicles, multiple parking spaces and a mix of CAVs and traditional vehicles. Although the positives of CAVs have been the predominant focus of discussion, the technology does present a number of uncertainties that make the full picture of its implementation and effects on its environments incomplete. An assumption made in many studies is that the market penetration of CAVs is 100%, however this will not be the case for some period of time. Therefore, studies need to consider the rate at which CAVs are adopted, which can be influenced by a number of factors.