  In this paper we present a model-predictive control (MPC) based approach for
vehicle platooning in an urban traffic setting. Our primary goal is to
demonstrate that vehicle platooning has the potential to significantly increase
throughput at intersections, which can create bottlenecks in the traffic flow.
To do so, our approach relies on vehicle connectivity: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. In particular, we introduce
a customized V2V message set which features a velocity forecast, i.e. a
prediction on the future velocity trajectory, which enables platooning vehicles
to accurately maintain short following distances, thereby increasing
throughput. Furthermore, V2I communication allows platoons to react immediately
to changes in the state of nearby traffic lights, e.g. when the traffic phase
becomes green, enabling additional gains in traffic efficiency. We present our
design of the vehicle platooning system, and then evaluate performance by
estimating the potential gains in terms of throughput using our results from
simulation, as well as experiments conducted with real test vehicles on a
closed track. Lastly, we briefly overview our demonstration of vehicle
platooning on public roadways in Arcadia, CA.
