In conversation: Paul Mitchell, President of Energy Systems Network (ESN) and Doug Boles, President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Energy Systems Network (ESN) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) are the primary organizers of the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) and are supported by a consortium of public and private partners and sponsors. Below are excerpts from interviews about the IAC with Paul Mitchell, president of Energy Systems Network and Doug Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Paul Mitchell
President, Energy Systems Network
Doug Boles
President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Q. Why is Indiana taking the lead in hosting and organizing the IAC?
Paul Mitchell: Indiana has an incredible ecosystem of public, private and academic institutions that work together to enable the growth of new industries, including the autonomous vehicle industry. It also is the home of the fastest and one of the most famous motor speedways in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so combining forces, Indiana is the perfect place to host the IAC.
ESN raised the prize funding from philanthropic and corporate contributions, including a gift from the Lilly Endowment Inc. of Indianapolis, awarded in 2019.
Doug Boles: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been an incubator and proving ground for automotive innovation since it opened in 1909, and will provide the same critical value for the IAC. The famed IMS oval is the most prestigious racing stage in the world and will push the limits of performance and safety for this first-of-its-kind autonomous head-to-head race. The winning team’s car must complete 20 laps around the 2.5-mile IMS oval for a total of 50 miles of autonomous driving at speeds up to 200 mph.
Q. How many teams have entered and what was the criteria to register?
Paul Mitchell: Thirty (30) teams, with students and faculty from 37 universities that excel in AI software and autonomous vehicle engineering, have registered to compete in the IAC. Some of the universities have joined forces to collaborate and will make strong competitors. All IAC entrants must be from tax-exempt universities, including foreign institutions of higher education that are organized and operated in a manner consistent with requirements for exemption from federal income tax under the laws of the United States.
Q. Why was Dallara selected as the official racecar of the IAC?
Doug Boles: Since 2001, Dallara has been the sole supplier of racecar chassis for the Indy Lights series, the main goal of which is to prepare young drivers for the NTT IndyCar Series. Dallara also is dedicated to education and we are very fortunate to have them as one of our IAC partners.
The official vehicle that all Indy Autonomous Challenge teams will use will be a modified Dallara IL-15 racecar that will be retrofitted with hardware and controls to enable automation. This work will be the responsibility of one of our IAC partners, CU-ICAR (Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research), via their Deep Orange 12 project. Teams are directly involved through monthly virtual design reviews (VDRs) and other feedback channels throughout the competition. The algorithms will complete all actions normally performed by a driver.
Q. Who retains the Intellectual Property (IP) for the autonomous solutions that will be integrated into the modified Dallara IL-15 racecar?
Paul Mitchell: The teams themselves will retain the IP of their own autonomous software that they will integrate into the modified Dallara IL-15 racecar.
Q. Are there race trials planned for the IAC at the IMS?
Doug Boles: Track practice days are planned at the IMS in 2021, on June 5-6, Sept. 4-6, and Oct. 19-20. The final race qualifications will take place Oct. 21-22, leading up to the final race on October 23, 2021.