CAPE CANAVERAL (USA) (ITALPRESS) – The Indy Autonomous Challenge
(IAC) and the Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s largest scientific-technological university, have joined forces with Maserati and the Florida 1000 Mile Experience to implement two ambitious high-tech initiatives during the stage of the renowned competition in Cape Canaveral, Florida. These activities are part of MOST – the National Center for Sustainable Mobility, which promotes research, innovation and infrastructure development to create scalable solutions for eco-friendly transportation. The Indy Autonomous Challenge returned to the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at Kennedy Space Center to set two world records for autonomous driving. The LLF is one of the world’s longest runways at 15,000 feet (2.8 miles) and was the historic landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttles. Initially used primarily for government operations, the LLF facility has transformed into a vibrant center of aerospace innovation, research, manufacturing and testing.
The development of autonomous vehicle driving software was completed by the PoliMOVE-MSU team, part of the performance division of AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous of the Politecnico di Milano). The Maserati MC20 of the Indy Autonomous
Challenge, driven by Milan Polytechnic’s artificial intelligence and modified to run autonomously, reached 197.7 mph (318k km/h) without any human driver on board. This surpasses the previous all-time record for an autonomously driven car of 192.8 mph, set by the Indy Autonomous Challenge and PoliMOVE at the same location in April 2022 with an IAC AV-21 race car. The feat represents a huge step forward in the development of high-speed autonomous driving and demonstrates
how the knowledge gained in high-speed autonomous racing can be transferred to road cars. The Maserati MC20 in the Indy Autonomous Challenge, driven by the robo-driver developed by the Milan Polytechnic, already held the record as the
fastest autonomous production car, having reached 285 km/h (177 mph) on the runway of the Piacenza Air Force Airport in November 2024. This vehicle has once again surpassed its own limits, demonstrating the excellence of Italian innovation and technology.
“These world speed records are more than just a showcase of future technology; we are pushing autonomous driving software and robotic hardware to the absolute limit. Doing it with a road car is helping to transfer the knowledge gained in autonomous racing to enable safe, reliable and sustainable high-speed autonomous mobility on highways,” said Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and Aidoptation BV. Through the tests conducted with the Maserati MC20, the Indy Autonomous Challenge, together with the team of researchers from the Politecnico di Milano, has once again pushed autonomous technology to the limit by analyzing the vehicle’s behavior under extreme conditions at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. This result demonstrates the robustness and reliability of the algorithms developed for autonomous driving.
“The purpose of the high-speed tests is to evaluate the behavior of robo-drivers under extreme conditions. These artificial intelligence systems have been tested on production vehicles at legal road speeds and in Indy Autonomous Challenge races since 2021. The AIDA team is using these tests to push the limits of autonomous driving, improving safety and reliability. Conducted in controlled environments without a human driver, the tests assess the stability, robustness and reaction time of the AI, ultimately improving safety in low-speed urban mobility situations,” explains the project’s scientific director and head of the Department of Electronics, Computer Science and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano, Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi. Once the record-breaking test was completed, a second Maserati MC20 Cielo continued its journey in the United States by joining the Florida 1000 Mile Experience convoy. This vehicle from the Politecnico di Milano-already a protagonist in the 2023 edition of the historic 1000 Miglia, during which it traveled about 60 km in autonomous driving mode through Italy-will now parade on the roads of the United States, showcasing the excellence of Italian research.
“The 1000 Miglia has never been just a race: it is a journey through history, a symbol of innovation and a tribute to Italian automotive excellence. The combination of the Florida 1000 Miglia Experience and the technologies developed by the Politecnico di Milano for autonomous driving represents an extraordinary step into the future of mobility. Seeing a Maserati MC20, an icon of Italian design and performance, push the limits with an artificial intelligence system is a demonstration of how past and future can coexist. This first edition in Florida marks the beginning of a new chapter for the 1000 Miglia, a bridge between tradition and the new frontiers of innovation.” noted Massimo Cicatiello, president of EGA USA, licensee organizer of the Florida 1000 Miglia Experience.
The presence of the Maserati MC20 Cielo in this context represents not only a link between past and future, but also the evolution of mobility, projecting Italian engineering into new international scenarios. The union between the Indy Autonomous Challenge and the Politecnico di Milano, with the support of Maserati and 1000 Miglia Experience Florida, marks a fundamental step in the experimentation of autonomous driving, laying the foundations for new technological evolutions and accelerating the development of advanced technologies for the commercialization of autonomous vehicles and ADAS systems. The goal is to solve real problems, push the boundaries of innovation, and improve safety and performance in both motorsport and urban and commercial transportation.
– Photo Maserati Press Office –
(ITALPRESS).
