Test drive Audi launches world's sportiest autonomous driver car on track
Test Drive

Test drive Audi launches world's sportiest autonomous driver car on track

Test drive Audi launches world's sportiest autonomous driver car on track

Audi is building the sportiest self-driving car. At the German Touring Car Racing (DTM) final at the Hockenheim circuit, the Audi RS 7 concept model will demonstrate its dynamic potential and capabilities for the first time – at racing speed and without a driver. It will be shown live on Audi TV on Sunday.

“We are rapidly moving forward in one of the most important trends in the automotive world, and the autonomous driving prototype presented is an expression of this fact,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Directors of AUDI AG responsible for development. “At the DTM competitions in Hockenheim you will have the opportunity to see the emanation of our work. Lap times of just two minutes and lateral acceleration of up to 1.1 g are values ​​that speak for themselves.”

Audi has long been one of the leading manufacturers in the field of automated driving. The brand development efforts have resulted in very impressive achievements. In 2010, for example, the unmanned Audi TTS * conquered the ascents of the legendary Pikes Peak mountain race in Colorado, USA. Now Audi is demonstrating its potential in this direction once again by testing it under extreme conditions. With its 560 hp Power and a top speed of 305 km / h, the autonomous, piloted concept of the Audi RS 7 clearly expresses the company's motto "Progress through technology".

Autonomously piloted Audi RS 7 concept car on the track

The Audi RS 7 Autonomous Concept is a technological platform with which Audi explores the possibilities of piloted driving in its most dynamic form. On Friday 17 October and Sunday 19 October - before the start of the last DTM race - the concept car will drive the Hockenheim lap without a driver. The large five-seater is largely identical to the production model, but its electromechanical power steering, brakes, throttle and eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission that sends power to the quattro all-wheel drive system are fully automatic.

When driving a car in border mode, two important factors must be taken into account: the need for extremely accurate orientation of the car on the road and its absolute control within dynamic limits.

The technology platform uses specially coordinated GPS signals to orient the track. This differential GPS data is transmitted with centimeter precision to the vehicle via WLAN in accordance with the automotive standard and additionally as protection against data loss via high frequency radio signals. Parallel to this, XNUMXD camera images are compared in real time with graphic information previously stored in the system. The latter searches through a huge number of individual images for several hundred known parameters, such as outlines of buildings behind the road, which are then used as additional location information.

Controlling the vehicle's dynamic handling limit is another incredible feature of the autonomously piloted Audi RS 7 concept model. The complex on-board network that connects all the elements involved in traffic control allows the technology platform to move within physical limits. Audi engineers are intensively studying the possibilities of driving within these limits, testing the technological platform for several thousand test kilometers on different types of roads.

To demonstrate its capabilities, the autonomously piloted Audi RS 7 concept model will complete the lap on the clean Hockenheim circuit – with full throttle, full braking before corners, precise cornering and perfectly timed cornering acceleration. Braking acceleration will reach 1,3 g, and lateral acceleration can reach a limit of 1.1 g. Testing on the track at Hockenheim involves reaching a top speed of 240 km/h with a lap time of 2 minutes 10 seconds.

The route in question is also the most stressful when it comes to autonomous manned traffic. Future systems must work extremely accurately, without errors in critical situations. Therefore, they have to deal with the current situation, even when it is at the level of physical boundaries. This test provides Audi engineers with a range of product development options, such as developing automatic hazard avoidance functions in critical traffic situations.

A guided tour of the autonomously piloted RS 7 concept model can be watched live (www.audimedia.tv/en). The broadcast will begin on October 12, 45 at 19: 2014 CET.

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