Roborace wants human drivers and machines to work together

By Stephen Edelstein Published November 14, 2018

1 of 5

Roborace DevBot 2.0 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roborace DevBot 2.0 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roborace DevBot 2.0 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roborace DevBot 2.0 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roborace DevBot 2.0 and Robocar — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roborace wants to take the human element out of racing. It hopes to launch the world’s first race series using self-driving cars, but it’s taking a gradual approach to reaching that goal. Roborace just unveiled its latest prototype, dubbed DevBot 2.0, and the car still features a cockpit for a human driver.

Recommended Videos

For its first season, called Season Alpha, Roborace will have humans and machines work together. Cars will set lap times both with human drivers and autonomously, and these times will be compared to those of other teams to determine a winner. So cars won’t race wheel to wheel, as they do in more conventional race series.

DevBot 2.0 is an evolution of Roborace’s first development vehicle, DevBot 1.0. It has a more stylized look than its predecessor, and it’s fully electric. Roborace also has a car called Robocar with no space for a human driver at all, but it won’t be deployed until later seasons, Roborace CEO and Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi said in an interview with Motorsport.com.

“We changed our mind,” di Grassi told the website. “The initial idea was to do it with the Robocar. Having a human driver jump out so the car can drive itself will better illustrate the difference between human and autonomous driving, he offered. Roborace is building “six or seven” cars for the initial season, di Grassi said, adding that software and the format of races is still being finalized.

Cars will be mechanically identical; the only difference will be the software they use to operate in autonomous mode. In theory, the team that writes the best software wins. Roborace previously discussed pairing its races with Formula E, which features human-driven electric cars. Roborace would run its races during Formula E events, at times when the Formula E cars aren’t on track.

Roborace’s inaugural season kicks off in 2019. DevBot 2.0 is expected to be used for both that initial season and the second season, called Season Beta. But in 2021 Roborace may eliminate human drivers completely, switching from DevBot 2.0 to the fully autonomous Robocar. That all depends on how things go in Roborace’s first two seasons.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Topics

Cars

Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Cars

Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon

The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR

Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Cars

A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain

Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.