College builds a 1000ft-lb autonomous drifting DeLorean

The Delorean is one of the most memorable cars from the 1980s. Featured in Back to the Future it made its appearance at 88mph. Although the car could go faster than that it wasn’t one of the most powerful cars on the road. It had a 2.8L which boasted 130hp. A team from Stanford University decided to take the car to the next level and all in the name of research.

The team made the once petrol engine car fully electric. They added to rear motors which help the car make 500ft-lb per rear wheel. They adjusted the suspension to make it a little stiffer. Also the hydraulic braking system was replaced with an electric one to provide better stopping.

The goal of the research was to help improve the autonomous feature in slicker conditions. In some cases autonomous vehicles are tested in regular driving conditions. While in a real word scenario there is ice, snow and other factors that the computer has to account for.

The team effectively taught the car how to drift. With the knowledge they gain from testing the car they are hoping to be able to teach the car to avoid issues to the best of its abilities. The team stated,

We want the car to be able to avoid any accident that’s avoidable within the laws of physics,… If we can conquer how to safely control the car in the most stable and the most unstable scenarios, it becomes easier to connect the dots in between

They named the project MARTY, or Multiple Actuator Research Test Bed for Yaw control. What do you think about the drifting DeLorean. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Source: Youtube