Impact of freeway slope photovoltaic panels on drivers: A study based on driving simulator

Aiming at the impact of freeway slope photovoltaic construction on driving safety, a driving simulator experiment was carried out. By designing eight slope photovoltaic schemes under varying sunlight conditions and road alignment parameters, we recruited 35 drivers to collect detailed driving behavior data. Seven driving indicators were selected to develop an evaluation index system. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare driver behavioral performance under eight slope photovoltaic schemes. The findings reveal that the installation of photovoltaic panels on freeway slopes significantly affects driving behavior. Specifically, the driver's speed and degree of steering wheel angle decreased significantly, while acceleration increased significantly on straight alignment. The standard deviation of driver speed, acceleration and standard deviation of acceleration significantly reduced, while the degree of steering wheel angle and the depth of the gas pedal significantly increased when photovoltaic panels were laid on the side slopes on curved road sections. In addition, different curve radius, the impact of photovoltaic panels on acceleration and degree of steering wheel turning angle were different. There is a significant effect of installing side slope photovoltaic panels on driver acceleration, standard deviation of acceleration and degree of steering wheel turning angle in curved sections with different curve radius. Under different sunlight conditions, the impact of photovoltaic panels on the degree of steering wheel angle were also different. The actual setup needs to take into account the impact of different road alignments on drivers. The is study provided theoretical support for the installation of freeway slope photovoltaic panels.