Formula Electric Belgium, a team of engineering students from KU Leuven and Thomas More Hogeschool, on Thursday unveiled Belgium’s first driverless race car.
Their creation is due to compete in student races across Europe this summer.
The team has been operational for over a decade, although the line-up varies yearly, based on students opting to extend their studies.
Each year, the team constructs a new race car to compete with other student teams across Europe. Races are scheduled this summer in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Formula Electric Belgium's speedster, which can be operated with or without a driver, uses advanced technologies such as LIDAR and machine-learning algorithms. The car can reach speeds of up to 140 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds.
According to Rob Ulenaers, the team’s spokesperson, the objective is twofold. “We aim to elevate the scholarly experience, and simultaneously demonstrate the possibilities within the mobility field,” he said. “We hope our work will inspire the industry and contribute to future mobility solutions.”
