Autonomous cars to compete in Formula E supporting series unveiled

Chief design officer Daniel Simon – whose previous work includes the computer-generated images of vehicles in science fiction films Oblivion and Tron: Legacy, says that aesthetics were as important as aerodynamics in coming up with the RoboCar.

As with the initial season of Formula E itself, in the first season of RoboRace all the teams will use the same car, but will supply their own software and AI to operate it (in the current Formula E season, teams are allowed to develop their own powertrains). RoboRace will be strictly a supporting feature to the ePrix (that is, the race with human drivers); to stress this, the organisers refer to RoboRace ‘shows’, rather than races, although RoboRace chief executive Denis Sverdlov has revealed that each race will be an hour long and on the same circuit that the Formula E cars use.

The new car represents the first time Simon has designed physical racing cars, rather than ones which only exist as images in a computer and on the cinema screen; although he has worked in motorsport, his previous contributions have been limited to team liveries rather than the cars themselves. “It’s fantastic to be part of this journey; it triggers all my big passions - motor racing, design and advanced technologies,” he said.