Volvo's electric XC90 SUV to include lidar as standard equipment next year
06-24-21, 11:39 AM
#1
Volvo's electric XC90 SUV to include lidar as standard equipment next year
Luminar Technologies will supply Volvo with its Iris lidar and Sentinel software
DETROIT — Volvo Cars plans to make lidar sensors standard equipment in a new generation of its XC90 SUV next year as part of a strategy to deploy more advanced safety and automated driving technology that relies on precise images of the world around the vehicle.
The decision by Volvo Cars to fold lidar sensors into the base price of its vehicle is a bet that customers will pay for the additional capability. It has been called a "watershed moment" by some in the industry.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Swedish brand, owned by China's Geely group, is taking a sharply different road from rival Tesla Inc, which has shunned lidar and radar and is focusing on just cameras and software for its automated driving systems.
Self-driving car sensor startup Luminar Technologies Inc will supply Volvo Cars with its Iris lidar and Sentinel software in combination with software from Volvo in the electric XC90 SUV that will be built in South Carolina and go on sale in 2022, the companies said.
The new technologies are designed to address traffic situations that often result in severe injuries and fatalities. Over time, the technology will become more capable and will increasingly intervene to prevent collisions, the companies said.
"By having this hardware as standard, we can continuously improve safety features over the air and introduce advanced autonomous drive systems," Volvo Cars Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement.
Lidar sensors, which use laser light pulses to render precise images of the environment around the car, are seen as essential by many automakers to enable obstacle detection and avoidance in advanced driving assistance systems and eventually in fully automated vehicles.
The decision by Volvo Cars to fold lidar sensors into the base price of its vehicle is a bet that customers will pay for the additional capability. It has been called a "watershed moment" by some in the industry.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Swedish brand, owned by China's Geely group, is taking a sharply different road from rival Tesla Inc, which has shunned lidar and radar and is focusing on just cameras and software for its automated driving systems.
Self-driving car sensor startup Luminar Technologies Inc will supply Volvo Cars with its Iris lidar and Sentinel software in combination with software from Volvo in the electric XC90 SUV that will be built in South Carolina and go on sale in 2022, the companies said.
The new technologies are designed to address traffic situations that often result in severe injuries and fatalities. Over time, the technology will become more capable and will increasingly intervene to prevent collisions, the companies said.
"By having this hardware as standard, we can continuously improve safety features over the air and introduce advanced autonomous drive systems," Volvo Cars Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement.
Lidar sensors, which use laser light pulses to render precise images of the environment around the car, are seen as essential by many automakers to enable obstacle detection and avoidance in advanced driving assistance systems and eventually in fully automated vehicles.
Complete sensor set on on electric successor to XC90
Until now, lidar has been too costly for automakers to implement as anything other than an option that costs extra. Luminar CEO Austin Russell said the pricing for its lidar is on the order of $1,000 per unit.
Volvo Cars' chief technology officer, Henrik Green, said cost is not the focus for the Swedish auto brand. While the price of the technology will come down over time as volumes grow, the rollout will accelerate use of automated services that the company can charge for.
Green said subsequent vehicles will add the lidar package as standard, and that this continues Volvo Cars' history of being first to standardize many safety features, including three-point seat belts and side-impact airbags.
"This is kind of a watershed moment for the industry," Russell said in an interview. "You don't have an option package for airbags. You don't have an option package for seatbelts. Why should you have an option package for life-saving technology?"
Russell declined to say what the deal will mean financially for Luminar or discuss potential volumes, but the XC90 is Volvo Cars' top-selling U.S. vehicle and third-most popular globally last year with almost 92,500 sales.
Luminar said in March it had struck a deal with a software unit of Volvo Cars, Zenseact, to offer a combination hardware-software system to power autonomous features for Volvo vehicles. Luminar said at the time the system also would be sold to other automakers.
The system will aim to provide automated driving, but only on highways, Luminar has said. It will use a computing chipset from Nvidia Corp and also use cameras and radar sensors in addition to Luminar's lidar unit, but can be made to work with the cameras and radars that many automakers have already included in their vehicles.
SAIC Motor Corp, China's largest automaker, has said it will offer self-driving vehicles in that market next year in partnership with Palo Alto, California-based Luminar.
Luminar, founded in 2012, is one of several U.S. lidar manufacturers in the past year to go public via reverse mergers with blank-check companies.
Volvo Cars' chief technology officer, Henrik Green, said cost is not the focus for the Swedish auto brand. While the price of the technology will come down over time as volumes grow, the rollout will accelerate use of automated services that the company can charge for.
Green said subsequent vehicles will add the lidar package as standard, and that this continues Volvo Cars' history of being first to standardize many safety features, including three-point seat belts and side-impact airbags.
"This is kind of a watershed moment for the industry," Russell said in an interview. "You don't have an option package for airbags. You don't have an option package for seatbelts. Why should you have an option package for life-saving technology?"
Russell declined to say what the deal will mean financially for Luminar or discuss potential volumes, but the XC90 is Volvo Cars' top-selling U.S. vehicle and third-most popular globally last year with almost 92,500 sales.
Luminar said in March it had struck a deal with a software unit of Volvo Cars, Zenseact, to offer a combination hardware-software system to power autonomous features for Volvo vehicles. Luminar said at the time the system also would be sold to other automakers.
The system will aim to provide automated driving, but only on highways, Luminar has said. It will use a computing chipset from Nvidia Corp and also use cameras and radar sensors in addition to Luminar's lidar unit, but can be made to work with the cameras and radars that many automakers have already included in their vehicles.
SAIC Motor Corp, China's largest automaker, has said it will offer self-driving vehicles in that market next year in partnership with Palo Alto, California-based Luminar.
Luminar, founded in 2012, is one of several U.S. lidar manufacturers in the past year to go public via reverse mergers with blank-check companies.
06-24-21, 12:38 PM
#5
That's great to hear! I always thought Elon's argument against Lidar to be a bit disingenuous and unbecoming of his future-looking ways. While cameras can be much better than human eyes, Lidar is clearly superior technology. Sure it costs more, but the price was inevitably gonna come down over time. I mean, just a few years ago a Lidar unit cost 5 digits, now it's approaching 3 digits.
It's really not unlike EV vs hybrids. Hybrids are better than pure ICE vehicles, but EVs will clearly become superior, and the cost will inevitably come down over time. Elon could see that in EV vs hybrids, why couldn't he see that in cameras vs lidars?
It's really not unlike EV vs hybrids. Hybrids are better than pure ICE vehicles, but EVs will clearly become superior, and the cost will inevitably come down over time. Elon could see that in EV vs hybrids, why couldn't he see that in cameras vs lidars?
06-24-21, 06:48 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
the 3/Y have now eliminated radar, let alone lidar which no tesla has ever had. I imagine it was eliminated for cost or parts shortage reasons or both. I can't imagine ever buying a car without at least radar for the adaptive cruise. But hey, tesla may prove everyone wrong. However, the new model S still has radar i believe.
06-24-21, 08:05 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
He does see that. But it costs too much. Lexus and Toyota uses 3 lidar sensors as well as radar and camera tech I am sure Honda does as well. Toyota and Honda are at level 3 autonomous and I think GM is here too. I doubt the lower end Tesla’s will get lidar.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 06-24-21 at 08:09 PM.
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06-25-21, 06:06 AM
#8
I don't understand using LIDAR in cars. The only reference I have is watching the History Channel. Archeologists use Lidar to scan jungles from an airplane. The lidar will look through the tree canopy and show old structures, even old villages in Egypt under the sand. So what does Lidar do for a driver?
06-25-21, 08:26 AM
#9
I don't understand using LIDAR in cars. The only reference I have is watching the History Channel. Archeologists use Lidar to scan jungles from an airplane. The lidar will look through the tree canopy and show old structures, even old villages in Egypt under the sand. So what does Lidar do for a driver?
Lidar produces nice detailed data from what I've seen, but it's expensive and not as effective in all weather conditions. You also need the processing capacity to analyze it and integrate with other data sources like cameras in real time. Teslas have been spotted with lidar rigs so it's not like they completely ignores the technology. Maybe it will become part of the sensor suite one day. I wouldn't completely rule it out.
Musk is pretty much the only one believing self-driving without lidar will work, but obviously no one has a general purpose, works in all conditions, affordable solution yet so the jury is still out. At the end of the day they're going to double down on it because they're painted into a corner already. Either make it work or admit defeat. Personally I think they should give people the option to at least downgrade to something akin to the old "enhanced autopilot" package so they have what the car actually can do.
Definitely interesting that Volvo is including it as standard equipment, and I think it's more of a signal that it's going to be a long term part of their safety system so getting the hardware into cars lets them start integrating it more over each model year.
Last edited by sg021; 06-25-21 at 08:30 AM.
06-25-21, 11:30 AM
#10
https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...89430499000387
Abstract
In recent years, the development of the adaptive cruise control (ACC) system with the aim to improve driving convenience and comfort, has been progressing. To put this ACC system to practical use, the elimination of unexpected acceleration or deceleration caused by incorrect judgment is highly demanded. From 1997, the Laser Radar ACC system has been produced for the domestic version of the Lexus LS400. It provides high recognition capability with a two-dimensional scanning technology at an affordable price. This paper introduces this Laser Radar with a high-performance two-dimensional scanning technology.
06-25-21, 01:04 PM
#11
Lidar lets the car generate a detailed map of the objects around it, so a self driving car can make better decisions than with cameras alone.
Lidar produces nice detailed data from what I've seen, but it's expensive and not as effective in all weather conditions. You also need the processing capacity to analyze it and integrate with other data sources like cameras in real time. Teslas have been spotted with lidar rigs so it's not like they completely ignores the technology. Maybe it will become part of the sensor suite one day. I wouldn't completely rule it out.
Musk is pretty much the only one believing self-driving without lidar will work, but obviously no one has a general purpose, works in all conditions, affordable solution yet so the jury is still out. At the end of the day they're going to double down on it because they're painted into a corner already. Either make it work or admit defeat. Personally I think they should give people the option to at least downgrade to something akin to the old "enhanced autopilot" package so they have what the car actually can do.
Definitely interesting that Volvo is including it as standard equipment, and I think it's more of a signal that it's going to be a long term part of their safety system so getting the hardware into cars lets them start integrating it more over each model year.
Lidar produces nice detailed data from what I've seen, but it's expensive and not as effective in all weather conditions. You also need the processing capacity to analyze it and integrate with other data sources like cameras in real time. Teslas have been spotted with lidar rigs so it's not like they completely ignores the technology. Maybe it will become part of the sensor suite one day. I wouldn't completely rule it out.
Musk is pretty much the only one believing self-driving without lidar will work, but obviously no one has a general purpose, works in all conditions, affordable solution yet so the jury is still out. At the end of the day they're going to double down on it because they're painted into a corner already. Either make it work or admit defeat. Personally I think they should give people the option to at least downgrade to something akin to the old "enhanced autopilot" package so they have what the car actually can do.
Definitely interesting that Volvo is including it as standard equipment, and I think it's more of a signal that it's going to be a long term part of their safety system so getting the hardware into cars lets them start integrating it more over each model year.
06-25-21, 04:28 PM
#13
I don't understand using LIDAR in cars. The only reference I have is watching the History Channel. Archeologists use Lidar to scan jungles from an airplane. The lidar will look through the tree canopy and show old structures, even old villages in Egypt under the sand. So what does Lidar do for a driver?
The biggest issue with cameras in the future IMO is that it uses visible wavelengths. That means you can literally SEE the signals (sunlight, headlights, street lights, etc.). That means the 360 degrees awareness is not available when 360 degrees of visible light is not available, and you can't illuminate everything around you at all times for obvious reasons. Imagine a sonar using audible frequencies, how annoying that would be!
This is already an issue in practice for robot vacuums. Older ones used to randomly clean the floor, newer ones these days use either cameras or Lidars to map the room and clean systematically. Those that use cameras to navigate cannot work without light or in dark spots, while the lidar based ones can work at any time, anywhere it can physically reach. I bought mine 2 years ago for $300, just to give you an idea of how quickly lidar's price has come down and is being commercialized.
Also, while all these modalities can be affected by adverse weather conditions, Lidar is not nearly as affected as cameras.
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