In late 2015, it was announced that a new racing series with autonomous cars will be launched in 2016. It will be called Roborace and will act as a support series for the all-electric Formula E championship. With the next Formula E season only six months away, more details about the series and the self-driving race car are now available.
Although actual specs of the vehicle are still under wraps, Roborace announced its chief design officer as Daniel Simon. Known for his work as a vehicle concept designer on Hollywood films "Tron: Legacy and Oblivion", as well as his popular "Cosmic Motors" book, Simon has also designed a number of road-going vehicles, race car liveries, and even motorcycles. Notable projects include several cars for Seat and Lamborghini under the supervision of Walter de Silva, the Bugatti Veyron Hermes, the Lotus C-01 motorcycle, and the liveries of the Lotus LMP2 and Hispania Racing F1 cars.
At Roborace, the 41-year-old was tasked with creating the all-electric car that will bring autonomous technology to the race track. Although the self-driving vehicle is still under development, Roborace has already published photos of the prototype. Not surprisingly, given Simon’s previous work, the Robocar looks as futuristic as they get. It mixes the familiar design of Formula E cars with a bit of the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X VGT concept, with some wild results. Devoid of a traditional cockpit, this thing looks like a rocket with fenders and wheels. It makes me wish current Formula One and Formula E single-seaters had a similar design.
The setup might change, however, as Roborace moves closer to its debut season. According to Simon, the cars will be modified to include active body parts that are "more organic and seamless than solutions today." Details are scant, but expect some groundbreaking technology to evolve from this. No info as to what will motivate the self-driving race car, but it could receive a drivetrain similar to that used in Formula E cars.
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