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Maserati sets new self-driving speed record
Breaking the record with a streetcar helps take the learnings of autonomous racing into safe, sustainable, high-speed autonomous mobility.
A new autonomous speed record has been set by the Indy Autonomous Challenge Maserati MC20 Coupe, which reached 319 km/h during the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida at Kennedy Space Center last week.
The MC20 was guided by artificial intelligence from Politecnico di Milano and modified to run autonomously, with no human driver on board. It beat the previously held record for an autonomous car of 310 km/h, set by Indy Autonomous Challenge and PoliMOVE at the same location in April 2022 with an IAC AV-21 racecar.
Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) and Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s largest scientific-technological university, joined forces with Maserati and 1000 Miglia Experience Florida to carry out the high-tech initiative during the renowned competition’s stop in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Autonomous driving World Speed Record Maserati MC20 at Cape Canaveral. Photo supplied.
The activity is part of MOST – Italy’s National Center for Sustainable Mobility, which drives research, innovation, and infrastructure development to create scalable solutions for eco-friendly transportation.
The Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at the Kennedy Space Center is one of the world’s longest runways at, 4,5km and the historic location for NASA Space Shuttle landings. Once primarily used for government operations, the LLF has evolved into a vibrant hub for aerospace innovation, research, manufacturing, and testing.
Development of the AI driver software was completed by the PoliMOVE-MSU team – part of the performance division of AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous of Politecnico di Milano).
The Maserati MC20 Coupe, driven by a robo-driver from the Politecnico di Milano, previously held the record for the fastest autonomous production car, reaching 284 km/h at the Piacenza Military Airport track in November 2024.
“These world speed records are much more than just a showcase of future technology”, said Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and Aidoptation BV. “we are pushing AI-driver software and robotics hardware to the absolute edge. Doing so with a streetcar is helping transition the learnings of autonomous racing to enable safe, secure, sustainable, high-speed autonomous mobility on highways.”
Maserati MC20 Cielo, Miglia Experience in Florida. Photo supplied.
The achievement demonstrates the robustness and reliability of the algorithms developed for autonomous driving, says Prof. Sergio Matteo Savaresi, scientific director of the project and director of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano.
“The goal of high-speed tests is to evaluate the behaviour of robo-drivers in extreme conditions,” he says. “These AI systems have been tested in production vehicles at legal road speeds in the Indy Autonomous Challenge races since 2021.
“The AIDA team used this test to push the boundaries of autonomous driving, improving safety and reliability. Conducted in controlled environments without a human driver, the test assesses the AI’s stability, robustness, and reaction time, ultimately enhancing safety for low-speed urban mobility situations.”
