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| Robot racing, but not quite as Roborace intends. |
THE 60 drifters and spinners who will wow the crowd at Masons’s
Mill with their precision car control on Sunday, all wonder what is the point of
the new championship series for driverless electric cars.
Called Roborace, the series will join the Formula E series and was
announced for Kinetik this week.
Denis Sverdlov, Founder of Kinetik and Roborace, explained the
series will provide a competitive
platform to test the autonomous driving solutions that are now being developed by many large industrial automotive and technology players as well as top tech universities.
platform to test the autonomous driving solutions that are now being developed by many large industrial automotive and technology players as well as top tech universities.
Svedlov said the plan is to run a Roborace before each of the FIA
Formula E Championship races, with the first race intended to take place next
year.
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| What next, ask drivers, robot flying cars? |
Ten teams, each with two driverless cars, will compete in one-hour
races over the full championship season.
Because its is not the car, but real-time computing algorithms and
AI technologies that are being put to the test, all the teams will have the same
cars equipped with their different soft- and hardware.
“The mission of Roborace is to demonstrate that the future of
automotive and information technology is already here and can even work in
extreme conditions, said Svedlov.
“Roborace believes that there is a lot of independent talents in
the world that might contribute to this initiative.
“That is why one of the race teams will be organised as a
crowd-sourced community team open for enthusiastic software and technology
experts all over the world.
Further support for both Formula E and Roborace shall come from
Charge, an automotive start-up founded by Kinetik that develops revolutionary
range-extended electric powertrains for commercial vehicles.
Charge will become Official Truck Partner of the FIA Formula E
Championship and will provide electric trucks for the drivers’ parade, towing
trucks for emergency recovery of the racing cars and shuttles for transportation
of guests and visitors of the championship around the eVillage.
Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said in a statement: “We are very
excited to be partnering with Kinetik on what is surely one of the most
cutting-edge sporting events in history. Roborace is an open challenge to the
most innovative scientific and technology-focused companies in the world.
“It is very exciting to create a platform for them to showcase what
they are capable of and I believe there is great potential for us to unearth the
next big idea through the unique crowd-sourced contest.”
Further details and announcements about the teams and technologies
to be used will be made early next year
Evees also in the sand
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| Electric cars are also being proven on the Dakar, sort of. |
It is not only on track that electric cars are charging ahead.
The fully electric Eco Powered 4x4 completed the Rally of Morocco in October and will be raced in the 9000 km Dakar in January, with Argentinean Ariel Jaton and Spaniard Gaston Scazzuso piloting the car.
Eight battery packs drive the motor and a roof of high-yield photovoltaic solar panels recharge the vehicle’s electronic components, navigation, lighting and communication systems.
The fully electric Eco Powered 4x4 completed the Rally of Morocco in October and will be raced in the 9000 km Dakar in January, with Argentinean Ariel Jaton and Spaniard Gaston Scazzuso piloting the car.
Eight battery packs drive the motor and a roof of high-yield photovoltaic solar panels recharge the vehicle’s electronic components, navigation, lighting and communication systems.
