Roborace debuts world’s first electric racing car

Robocar took to MWC for the unveiling of its driverless electric race car Roborace. The new addition is expected to open a new dimension in motor sports. The vehicle makes use of numerous technologies to “drive” itself including five lidars (using light from laser), two radars, 18 sensors and six separate cameras. The vehicle is conceived by ex-Bugatti designer Daniel Simon who is also famous for designing vehicles for Hollywood science-fiction block-busters like Tron Legacy and Oblivion. With Robocar, the company aims to bring driverless technology to Formula E circuits in 2017. Roboraces will be scheduled before each Formula E race, in major cities around the world and will be televised in over 100 countries to millions of viewers globally. Eventually, the company hopes its innovations would be applied to normal road cars, making “passenger and commercial vehicles safer”. The autonomous race-car features a carbon-fibre design, weighing 975 kilograms and measuring around 4.8 metres long and two metres wide. The vehicle is powered by four motors and a single battery that is capable of speeds over 320 kilometres per hour. “Robocar opens a new dimension where motorsports as we know it meets the unstoppable rise of artificial intelligence,” said Simon. “Whilst pushing the boundaries of engineering, we styled every single part of the Robocar. We take special pride in revealing a functional machine that stays true to the initial concept shared,” he added.