- Who
- PoliMOVE, Dallara AV-21
- What
- 309.3 kilometre(s) per hour
- Where
- United States (Kennedy Space Center)
- When
The fastest autonomous car is a Dallara AV-21 with control software written by the PoliMOVE Autonomous Racing Team (ITA/USA). This vehicle, which was developed for the Indy Autonomous Challenge, recorded a two-way average speed of 309.3 km/h (192.2 mph) during speed trials on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 27 April 2022.
The Dallara AV-21 is a modified version of the Dallara IL-15 used in the Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights) racing series. Around 30 of these vehicles were built by Dallara's Indiana, USA, factory for the Indy Autonomous Challenge, an experimental series of AI-controlled indycar racing events. Teams were given a car with a standardized engine, chassis and self-driving hardware (control computer and sensors). The teams were tasked with developing the control software to interpret the input from the sensors and make the car respond appropriately.
The PoliMOVE Autonomous Racing Team is made up of students and staff from the University of Alabama (USA) and the Politecnico di Milano (ITA). They decided to attempt the record after their victory in the Indy Autonomous Challenge on 27 January 2022.
A straight-line speed run doesn't sound like it would be a particularly challenging task for an autonomous car, but maintaining control at such high speeds (even in a straight line) is extremely difficult, requiring constant, delicate adjustments.
