# Ep. 13 | How Motorsports Are Accelerating Product Development for Next-Gen Automotive Applications

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2020-11-20
- Length: 1h 29m
- Episode: 13
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/ep-13-how-motorsports-accelerate-product-development-next-gen-automotive-applications

## Summary

Lucas di Grassi, former CEO of Roborace and Formula E champion, and Bryn Balcombe, Chief Strategy Officer of Roborace, discuss how their autonomous electric racing series serves as an R&D incubator for automotive AI and sensor technologies. They detail the technical challenges of hardening electronics for high-G motorsport environments, the shift from hardware competition to software-defined racing, and the critical role of open-source data in accelerating industry-wide innovation. The conversation also covers the broader implications of autonomous mobility, battery energy density constraints, and di Grassi's environmental advocacy regarding urban air pollution.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=1) Introduction and Roborace Mission
- [5:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=300) Roborace as an AI and Technology Incubator
- [17:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=1041) Electric Powertrains and Vehicle Dynamics
- [30:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=1838) Open Source Software and Modular Architecture
- [36:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=2174) Sensor Fusion and Localization Challenges
- [41:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=2462) Hardware Reliability in High-G Environments
- [51:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=3082) AI Prediction vs. Human Instinct
- [1:04:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=3870) Future of Motorsport and Autonomous Mobility
- [1:11:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-11-20-ep-13-how-motorsports-are-accelerating-product-development-for-next-gen-automoti#t=4306) Environmental Advocacy and Air Quality

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Roborace (company)
- Formula E (product)
- Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler (company)
- Technical University of Munich (company)
- VW Data Lab (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- Mercedes (company)
- Tesla (company)
- LiDAR (chip)
- GNSS (chip)
- GitHub (tool)
- DeepMind (company)
- ETH Zurich (company)
- Sony AI (company)
- Gran Turismo Sport (product)
- Electric Scooter Championship (product)
- Extreme E (product)
- All About Circuits (company)
- Rohm Semiconductor (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Interview with IAC race winner Team TUM](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-10-26-interview-with-iac-race-winner-team-tum) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [APEX.AI discusses autonomous vehicle OS's; Nearly $1B in funding announcements](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-01-21-apex-ai-discusses-autonomous-vehicle-oss-nearly-1b-in-funding-announcements) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Monte Carlo Formula E Race | Trade War: China’s View | AI @ Hot Chips](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-05-31-monte-carlo-formula-e-race-trade-war-chinas-view-ai-hot-chips) (EE Times Current)
- [Ep 215: Autonomous Race Car, Espresso Robot, and Vintage Computers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-04-21-ep-215-autonomous-race-car-espresso-robot-and-vintage-computers) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [The Robot Centennial | Sensors in Automotive | He’ll Be Back](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-10-23-the-robot-centennial-sensors-in-automotive-hell-be-back) (EE Times Current)

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