and all does not quite go according to plan. ouch — it is going to be a pricey fix. organisers say crashes like this are par for the course, as the tech matures. but won't they also dent consumer confidence? i don't think so. the main advantage of it is trying to develop the technology. if you are able prototype something at 300 kilometres an hour, when you are running at urban speed of 30 kilometres an hour, you have a safety margin that allows you to safely adopt these kind of algorithms. finally, after two plus years in the making it, culminates in a few crucial minutes on the track and a winner is declared. so what to do with the prize money? we spend a lot of money to do this, it is very intensive, i have a big research team with phd students, we invest a lot of money, and so it is for research. there is a sense that this is an historic milestone, but also a recognition it's just a waypoint on a far longer journey that lies ahead.