Robot racers ready to hit the track

Series would feature mechanically identical cars each boasting a unique artificial intelligence

If you’ve ever wished for a series like Formula One, only the field is made up of mechanically identical cars with artificial intelligence behind the wheel instead of drivers, then you’ll love Roborace.

The yet unrealized series pits identical electric race cars against each other on the track. The only difference from car to car is the programming of the AI, allowing the car to drive itself around a track.

Each car weighs 975 kilograms and is powered by a motor at each wheel, rated at 300 kW. That’s enough electric mojo to propel the car to a silent 320 km/h. The cars will compete against each other as part of a side show for the Formula E series.

Roborace organizers say we can expect to see one-on-one races before Formula E races in July. A test race earlier this month in Buenos Aires saw one car achieve nearly 200 km/h, while the other crashed.

BRITISH AUTOMAKER Bentley planning an all-electric SUV

It’s no secret Bentley is bent on building more SUVs and electric vehicles.

So why shouldn’t the storied British automaker combine the two?

According to an Automotive News report, Bentley is seriously considering a smaller SUV positioned below the Bentayga. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

“I can assure you that Bentley — on the long-term view — will not stay with one model only in the SUV lineup,” Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer said. “We have clear indications that a smaller Bentayga as a Bentley SUV would find great acceptance.”

To ensure the baby Bentayga won’t take away sales from its big brother, Rolf Frech — a member of Bentley’s engineering board — hints that the SUV in question will more than likely be all-electric.

“If you are looking for such a car (small SUV), then we are looking to that in combination with the possibilities to go full electric,” he said. “It only makes sense if you get really new customers into the brand.”

The smaller, electric SUV in question won’t arrive until 2020 at the earliest.

Until then, count on seeing plugin hybrid versions of each model, starting with the Bentayga, and followed by the Continental GT, Mulsanne and the Flying Spur.

— ROBORACE Roborace’s autonomous race car is an all-electric vehicle designed to achieve speeds up to 320 km/h.

— BRIAN HARPER/DRIVING.CA Pleased with the response to their Bentayga, Bentley is intent on designing a smaller SUV, one that would possibly become allelectric in time.