Can we call it the world’s fastest autonomous car? Absolutely yes. A team from the technical college Politecnico di Milano and the University of Alabama recently took part in the “Indy Autonomous Challenge” in Las Vegas. In this thrilling confrontation, only the car manufactured by the Politecnico di Milano-PoliMOVE team has been able to break the world speed record for driverless cars. This cutthroat competition was held on April 26th, but again on April 27th, the car made another drift and surpassed its proven track record of 186.4 mph (300 kph) by 192.2 mph (309.3 kph). Prior to that, in Sep 2019, the world record was set at 175.49 mph (282.42 kph), which was set by “Roborace”, but now, the tables have turned. It was one of the most thrilling records that I ever heard.
The engine used by this car was 30% more powerful and dynamic as compared to the previous one with which the car was fitted. The whole team was thrilled to bits as it was the only team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge to hit the jackpot. “We were driving a car based only on algorithms, where accuracy is critical and any minor forecast error may have resulted in a very different outcome. This test run was thrilling, and while we are happy with the world record, we are even more thrilled that this data will be made available to everybody, and the industry will profit from our efforts and discoveries,” said Prof. Sergio, the team lead of PoliMOVE. The video below shows some amazing insights into this experience by the team:
The speed was attained by driving an average of 1 km in two successive attempts. Also, the team is now planning to give it a try on the Atlanta circuit, preferably on a race track this time instead of a straight track. According to the team lead of PoliMOVE, “We observed what the future holds for self-driving cars, and kudos goes to the whole PoliMOVE team, particularly Dr. Brandon Dixon of the University of Alabama.” Hence, the whole team deserves acknowledgment for this mega-hit. Last but not the least, the driverless race car that was manufactured for this race was the “Dallara AV-21″, which has challenged its limits and added a feather to the cap.
