Audi achieve speed record for self-driving cars

Audi have claimed to have achieved a new speed record for self-driving cars.

Tests in Germany by the luxury German automaker showed that the Audi RS7 managed to reach a top speed of 149 MPH (240km/h). The car was not driven by anyone, being completely autonomous. The car was driven at the Hockenheim racing circuit in the South of Frankfurt, taking just two minutes to complete a lap.

The self-driving RS7 managed to complete a lap 5 seconds faster than one that had a human driver. This was done to compare the two methods of driving.

This may seem like a huge step towards autonomous cars coming to roads in the UK. There is still however plenty of hurdles still to overcome. Various parts of the technology towards building them are being implemented within current road cars. Piecing them altogether is a different story.

However Audi are determined to make this a reality, having high hopes for the future. Dr Horst Glaser was on hand to say “I know accident-free driving will remain a vision. But at least we can reduce the number of accidents in the future. Piloted driving defuses situations like, for example, being in a traffic jam. Whenever the driver is distracted and inattentive the car could take over. Additionally the driver has a chance to relax. That means they are on full alert as soon as their attention is required again.”

So how exactly did Audi’s autonomous technology work? The rear of the car has a computer which uses data gathered from various sensors. The sensors come in form of laser scanners, cameras, GPS location data, radio transmissions and radar sensors. Data is gathered from here and is processed by the computer which is located in the boot.

This has been 15 years in the making for Audi in the US and Europe.

An autonomous car racing around a racetrack is completely different to a vehicle driving around in real world conditions. They still to properly ensure that driverless cars are able to interact with other driverless cars. One of the major concerns is the issue of insurance. If there is an accident, how is responsibility determined.