Audi has managed to break speed records with its self-driving RS7 car.
The driverless vehicle managed breakneck speeds of 149mph – or 240km/h for metric die-hards.
The German car-maker set down its nippy ghost motor on the home-soil Hockenheim racing track.
The autonomous automobile completed an entire lap of the Grand Prix circuit in just north of two minutes.
What’s more, Audi actually trialled the car with one of us human folk behind the wheel, and saw the manually operated car clock in five seconds slower than in full-auto mode.
Dr Horst Glaser is part of Audi’s research team, and says the driverless mode could ‘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,” explains Glaser.
“Additionally the driver has a chance to relax. That means they are on full alert as soon as their attention is required again.”
Audi’s RS7 makes use of a smorgasbord of tech to achieve its ghost-like cruising, including cameras, laser scanners, GPS data, radio transmission, and even radar.
The firm says it’s been working on the car for around 15 years, and expects driverless cars on the roads ‘within a decade.’
“You need to make sure they interact with other driverless cars as well as those piloted by humans. You’ve got to make sure the software absolutely works,” Glaser explains.
“One of the big issues is what happens if there is an accident. Who is responsible? There are a whole load of legal issues to sort out.”
Read more: Driverless cars: Everything you need to know
Via: BBC