A historic milestone has been reached in the field of autonomous driving, with the Maserati MC20 setting a new world speed record. The feat was achieved thanks to a collaboration between the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) and the Politecnico di Milano, a leading institution in Italian science and technology.
The MC20’s new incredible speed record
The Maserati MC20, a famous Italian car, was equipped with a state-of-the-art autonomous driving system developed by researchers at the Politecnico di Milano. The record was set during the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida, held in Cape Canaveral, in a context that saw the synergy between IAC, Politecnico di Milano, Maserati and 1000 Miglia Experience Florida. This initiative is added in the broader MOST – National Center for Sustainable Mobility – project, which focuses on promoting research and innovation in the field of environmentally friendly transportation.
The Indy Autonomous Challenge again pushed the limits of technology, setting new world records for autonomous driving at the historic Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at Kennedy Space Center. This site, once the scene of NASA’s Space Shuttle landings, has been transformed into a hub of aerospace innovation, providing a 15,000-foot runway ideal for testing high-speed autonomous vehicles. The PoliMOVE-MSU team, part of Politecnico di Milano’s AIDA performance division, played a crucial role, developing the software that enabled a modified Maserati MC20 to reach the incredible speed of 318 km/h.
Further advances in technology
This achievement is certainly a very important step forward in the development of autonomous driving technology, demonstrating the potential of this technology to improve transportation safety and efficiency. Collaboration between academic institutions, automotive companies, and industry organizations proves to be key to accelerating innovation and bringing concrete solutions to the market.
This achievement not only completely destroyed the previous record of 192.8 mph, also set by the Indy Autonomous Challenge and PoliMOVE in 2022, but also highlighted the enormous potential of autonomous driving in extreme conditions. The event publicized how the expertise gained in high-speed autonomous racing can be effectively transferred to the development of road cars, proclaiming a key step toward the future of autonomous mobility.
The goals of the tests
“The purpose of these tests is to analyze the behavior of autonomous driving systems under boundary conditions,” explains Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi, scientific director of the project and director of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano. “These systems, already tested on production vehicles and in Indy Autonomous Challenge competitions, are being put to the test to overcome the limits of autonomous driving and improve safety. The goal of these tests is not only to break records, but also to refine autonomous driving algorithms to ensure safer and more reliable road mobility.”
“These speed records represent more than just a technology demonstration,” says Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and Aidoptation BV. “We are pushing autonomous driving hardware and software to the limit, with the goal of transferring the knowledge gained in racing to road mobility, making safe and sustainable high-speed autonomous driving possible.”