Mercedes-Benz has agreed to a “multibillion-dollar” deal with Luminar to combine lidar expertise and software program into the German automaker’s next-generation of vehicles set to go into manufacturing by the center of the last decade.
The deal introduced Wednesday throughout an occasion on the Mercedes-Benz Analysis and Improvement North America facility in Sunnyvale, California is an growth of an present partnership between the 2 firms.
A rising variety of automakers together with Mercedes imagine that lidar, or mild detection and ranging radar, is a essential sensor used alongside cameras and radar to help automated driving options.
Beneath the newly expanded settlement, Luminar lidar and accompanying software program will probably be built-in right into a broad vary of Mercedes’ next-generation manufacturing vehicles. The Luminar lidar will probably be in Mercedes vehicles geared up with its Drive Pilot system, which permits for hands-free, eyes off driving beneath sure circumstances on highways.
Luminar stated it plans to construct a manufacturing unit in Asia to help the deal. Luminar didn’t disclose the manufacturing capability of this Asia manufacturing unit. An organization spokesperson did disclose that the brand new manufacturing unit will probably be nearly solely devoted to supplying lidar sensors to Mercedes.
Mercedes introduced in January 2022 it might use Luminar’s lidar expertise in future vehicles as a part of a broader deal that features knowledge sharing and the automaker taking a small stake in the corporate. As a part of the deal, Mercedes-Benz acquired up to 1.5 million Luminar shares, in change for sure knowledge and providers.
That preliminary improvement partnership, which has been underway since 2021, was restricted to one high-end car mannequin. This newly expanded partnership will nonetheless embrace the data-sharing element and develop to a number of car fashions. Luminar’s next-generation Iris lidar, which is designed to meet Mercedes-Benz wants for its automated driving system, will go into manufacturing in by mid-decade. Luminar’s first-generation Iris lidar entered its sequence manufacturing in October 2022.
Mercedes stated the lidar won’t solely help its conditional automated driving system Drive Pilot, it’ll permit the system to function at increased speeds. Right this moment, Drive Pilot permits for hands-free, eyes off driving up to 40 miles per hour on sure highways. It’s solely accessible in Mercedes S Class and Mercedes EQS vehicles in Germany. Drive Pilot-equipped vehicles, which at the moment use lidar from Valeo, will probably be accessible on the market in sure U.S. markets later this yr.
At the moment, solely Nevada has licensed the system to be used in the state. Mercedes has additionally utilized for certification in California.
“In a primary step we now have launched a Degree 3 system in our prime line fashions. Subsequent, we would like to implement superior automated driving options in a broader scale inside our portfolio,” Mercedes CTO Markus Schäfer stated in an announcement.
