Category: LiDAR

Nio ET9 and 4th-gen swap station bring more support to LiDAR maker Seyond

ET9 adds two Robin W medium-range wide-angle LiDARs for the first time, in addition to one Falcon ultra-long-range LiDAR. Nio's fourth-generation swap station will feature six Robin W LiDARs.

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Chinese LiDAR maker Hesai opens its 1st European office in Germany

This will help it further expand into the European market and accelerate its globalization, Hesai said.

Chinese LiDAR maker Hesai opens its 1st European office in Germany-CnEVPost

(Image credit: Hesai)

Hesai Group has opened its first European office in Stuttgart, Germany, which will help it expand further into the European market and accelerate its globalization, the Chinese LiDAR manufacturer announced today.

Stuttgart is the automotive capital of Europe, with more than 2,000 companies in the automotive chain and many top OEMs and large Tier 1 suppliers headquartered here, Hesai said.

More than 20 automotive industry-related universities and R&D institutions provide a large talent base for the automotive industry in the region, it said.

Hesai's European office will leverage local resources in automotive and component manufacturing to enhance the company's presence and overall competitiveness in the European market, Hesai said.

Chinese LiDAR maker Hesai opens its 1st European office in Germany-CnEVPost

(The building where Hesai's European office is located. Image credit: Hesai)

The company received the TISAX AL3 assessment label, the highest level of information security, this year, passing the European automotive supply chain access requirements and being able to serve European car OEM customers, it said.

Founded in Shanghai in late 2014, Hesai initially focused on developing high-performance laser sensors and has been exploring LiDAR products since 2016.

Hesai opened an office in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, at its inception and now operates in more than 40 countries and 90 cities worldwide.

The company went public on NASDAQ on February 9, becoming the first Chinese LiDAR manufacturer to go public in the US.

Hesai shipped 47,515 LiDAR units in the fourth quarter, up 739.2 percent from 5,662 units in the same period in 2021, it said in its earnings report on March 16.

The company shipped 80,462 LiDARs for the full year 2022, up 467.5 percent year-on-year.

Hesai's revenue in overseas markets over the past three years reached nearly RMB 1.19 billion ($170 million), accounting for more than half of the company's total revenue.

($1 = RMB 6.9520)

Hesai unveils ultra-thin LiDAR ET25 that can be placed behind windshield

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Shanghai auto show: EVs take center stage, nearly 40 models equipped with LiDARs

There are 38 models equipped with LiDARs, of which BYD-backed RoboSense is the biggest winner, being the supplier of 18 of them.

At the Shanghai auto show two years ago, 's P5 sedan attracted a lot of attention as the world's first LiDAR-equipped production car at the time.

Now, at the latest Shanghai auto show, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) powered by LiDARs has reached dozens, as local EV makers have adopted the component over the past two years to help make vehicles more capable of assisted driving.

The ongoing Shanghai auto show began on April 18 and will run through April 27. EVs are certainly the focus of attention, with traditional fuel vehicles having fallen out of favor, a drastic change from two years ago.

More than 1,500 vehicles are on display at this year's edition of the show, with more than 150 of them making their debut, according to figures released by the event's organizers.

About two-thirds of those debuts were NEVs, including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Dozens of the NEVs at the show use the same new technology -- LiDARs -- despite the vehicles coming from different brands and having different designs.

Of all the models on display at the Shanghai auto show, 38 were equipped with LiDARs, with BYD-backed RoboSense, founded in 2014, being the biggest winner and the supplier for 18 of them.

Among BYD's models, the high-end Yangwang U8 off-road SUV and Denza N7 SUV are equipped with RoboSense's M Series LiDARs.

XPeng G6, which debuted at the Shanghai auto show, and the company's two flagship models, the P7i sedan and the G9 SUV, are also equipped with RoboSense's M Series LiDARs.

On April 14, 2021, XPeng unveiled the P5, the world's first LiDAR-equipped production car, on the eve of the last Shanghai auto show.

Notably, the P5 used LiDAR provided by Livox, incubated by drone maker DJI. However, XPeng switched to RoboSense's LiDARs for all subsequent models.

AITO, the EV brand jointly created by and Seres Group, also uses RoboSense's M Series LiDAR in the M5 SUV. Among other high-profile models, the Lotus Eletre, GAC Aion Hyper GT, Arcfox α-S with " Huawei Inside" are also equipped with RoboSense's LiDARs.

In addition to RoboSense, Innovusion and Hesai are the other two major players.

Among the vehicles on display at the Shanghai auto show, six NIO models -- the new ES8, ES7, new ES6, EC7, ET7 and ET5 -- are equipped with Innovusion's Falcon LiDARs.

Innovusion had a booth at the show and used an ET7 as a vehicle to showcase its product.

(NASDAQ: LI) currently has three models on sale -- Li L7, Li L8 and Li L9 -- all equipped with Hesai's AT128 LiDARs. HiPhi's HiPhi Z and HiPhi Y are also equipped with the component from Hesai.

For smart driving, vehicles need to detect their surroundings, and a single type of sensor often encounters scenarios that are not covered by its capabilities, a RoboSense source told CnEVPost.

The addition of LiDAR makes up for the weaknesses of other sensors, thus making the perception system capability more comprehensive and the smart driving decisions safer and more reasonable, the source said.

RoboSense flexes muscles at Tech Day, unveils new solid-state LiDAR and dedicated lab for testing

LiDAR suppliers for models at Shanghai auto show.xlsx

LiDAR SupplierBrandModelBoothLiDAR Type
RoboSenseIM MotorsLS7Hall 3M Series
RoboSenseIM MotorsL7Hall 3M Series
RoboSenseBYDDenza N7Hall 4.1MSeries
RoboSenseBYDYangwang U8Hall 8.1M Series
RoboSenseArcfoxArcfox α-S HIHall 4.1M Series
RoboSenseFAW HongqiEV E001Hall 5.1M Series
RoboSenseFAW HongqiEV SUV E202Hall 5.1M Series
RoboSenseXPengG6Hall 6.1M Series
RoboSenseXPengP7iHall 6.1M Series
RoboSenseXPengG9Hall 6.1M Series
RoboSenseAITOM5Hall 6.1M Series
RoboSenseGWM WEYLanshan DHT -PHEVHall 6.2M Series
RoboSenseChery ExeedSterra ESHall 7.2M Series
RoboSenseChery ExeedSterra ETHall 7.2M Series
RoboSenseGeely LivanLivan 7Hall 8.2M Series
RoboSenseGAC AionLX PlusHall 8.2M Series
RoboSenseGAC AionHyper GTHall 8.2M Series
RoboSenseLotusEletreHall 8.1M Series
HesaiLotusEletreHall 8.1AT128
HesaiHiPhiHiPhi ZHall 7.1AT128
HesaiHiPhiHiPhi YHall 7.1AT129
HesaiLi AutoLi L9Hall 6.1AT128
HesaiLi AutoLi L8Hall 6.1AT128
HesaiLi AutoLi L7Hall 6.1AT128
InnovusionNIONew ES8Hall 6.1Falcon
InnovusionNIOES7Hall 6.1Falcon
InnovusionNIOEC7Hall 6.1Falcon
InnovusionNIONew ES6Hall 6.1Falcon
InnovusionNIOET7Hall 6.1Falcon
InnovusionNIOET5Hall 6.1Falcon
ValeoAudiA8LHall 5.1Scala
ValeoAudiA7LHall 5.1Scala
ValeoAudiA6LHall 5.1Scala
ValeoAudiQ8Hall 5.1Scala
ValeoMercedes-BenzEQSHall 4.1Scala
LuminarVolvoEX90Hall 6.2lris
LuminarPolestarPolestar 3Hall 6.2Iris
HuaweiAvatrAvatr 11Hall 6.196 Beams
TanwayHycanV09Hal 6.1130 Beams

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NIO supplier Innovusion partners with Fuyao to put LiDAR behind windshield

Innovusion and Fuyao have begun joint research that has resulted in LiDAR integration behind the front windshield with less than 10 percent attenuation of detection performance.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The roof LiDAR setup has been complained by some to affect the aesthetics of the vehicle design. Now, local Chinese LiDAR manufacturers are working to put the component inside the vehicle.

NIO's LiDAR supplier Innovusion has partnered with local auto glass giant Fuyao Group to create LiDARs that can be mounted behind the front windshield, according to a press release yesterday.

There are currently two main mounting options for LiDAR, mounting it on top of the car like NIO's models, or placing the part next to the headlights as does.

Mounting LiDAR behind the front windshield, which does not affect the vehicle's exterior design and makes LiDAR less susceptible to the external environment, becomes one of the best options, Innovusion said.

However, the solution faces a number of technical challenges, including detection signal attenuation, noise from the LiDAR motor, and heat dissipation problems.

(Image credit: Innovusion)

Through its innovation, Fuyao has been able to optimize the LiDAR's waveband transmittance, Innovusion said.

The initial collaboration between the two will be based on Innovusion's Robin-E, which has dimensions of 117 mm * 100 mm * 44 mm, a total weight of about 450 grams, less than 9 W of power consumption and less than 20 dB(A) of noise.

The two companies have started joint research and development and have already achieved LiDAR integration with the camera behind the front windshield, with detection performance attenuation of less than 10 percent, Innovusion said.

Founded in 2016, Innovusion has R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Suzhou and Shanghai, and LiDAR manufacturing sites in Ningbo and Suzhou.

On March 28, 2022, NIO delivered the first ET7 vehicles, marking the mass production of Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR product. ET7 and other newer NIO models are equipped with Innovusion's image-grade, ultra-long-range LiDAR Falcon.

Prior to Innovusion, Hesai (NASDAQ: HSAI) announced on April 14 a new LiDAR called the ET25, which it says is an in-cockpit LiDAR designed to be placed behind the front windshield.

The ET25 is an ultra-thin, long-range LiDAR, with the "ET" standing for Extremely Thin and the "25" referring to its height of just 25 mm.

Hesai unveils ultra-thin LiDAR ET25 that can be placed behind windshield

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Hesai unveils ultra-thin LiDAR ET25 that can be placed behind windshield

The Hesai ET25 is an in-cockpit LiDAR designed to be placed behind the front windshield, with the help of Fuyao's special windshield to solve the signal attenuation problem.  |  Hesai US

(Image credit: Hesai)

Some have complained that roof-mounted LiDARs have ruined the design aesthetic of (NYSE: ) and (NASDAQ: LI) vehicles.

Now, a new product from a local LiDAR maker promises to make future vehicles with LiDAR on the roof without design compromises.

Hesai (NASDAQ: HSAI) today officially unveiled its new LiDAR, called ET25, which it says is an in-cockpit LiDAR designed to be placed behind the front windshield.

The ET25 is an ultra-thin, long-range LiDAR, with "ET" standing for Extremely Thin and "25" referring to its height of only 25 mm.

The LiDAR will be mounted behind the windshield, which allows for a smoother body design without compromising wind resistance, according to Hesai.

At the same time, the design allows the device to clear the view when it is covered with dust, rain or fog with the help of the vehicle's wipers alone, the company said.

Unlike (NASDAQ: TSLA), which relies on pure vision solutions for its autonomous driving technology, local Chinese car companies prefer to get better environmental awareness by equipping their vehicles with LiDARs.

Among the common solutions available today, NIO and Li Auto both put LiDARs on the roof of the vehicle, but at the expense of aesthetics to some extent. NIO's LiDAR supplier is Innovusion backed by NIO Capital, and Li Auto's supplier is Hesai.

, on the other hand, mounts LiDARs near the headlights, such as the G9 and P7i, and the P5, but some are concerned that this location is vulnerable to damage. The LiDAR supplier for the G9 and P7i is RoboSense.

It is worth noting that Hesai's latest solution may raise concerns about the attenuation of LiDAR-emitted signals when they are blocked by glass.

Conventional automotive glass causes severe signal attenuation of the near-infrared laser emitted by LiDAR when it encounters glass, which does not meet the need for range and resolution, said Hesai.

In addition, how to effectively integrate LiDAR with other devices mounted behind the windshield, such as cameras and rain sensors, is also a great challenge when installing the device into the cockpit, it said.

To address these challenges, Hesai announced a strategic partnership with automotive glass giant Fuyao to advance the adoption of this new LiDAR while unveiling the ET25.

Fuyao's specially made front windshield solves the challenge of signal attenuation in the cockpit caused by ordinary glass when LiDAR is running, Hesai said.

The use of this specially treated glass in the KOZ (Keep Out Zone) area of the LiDAR allows the ET25 to perform without compromise, according to Hesai.

At just 25 mm thick, the ET25 is nearly half as thin as the Hesai AT128, but instead of sacrificing performance, it is more powerful, the company said.

It has a FOV of 120° (H) x 25° (V) and can detect up to 250 meters without a windshield and up to 225 meters behind a windshield, according to Hesai.

With a point frequency of more than 3 million per second and a minimum resolution of just 0.05° x 0.05°, the ET25 brings ultra-high-definition, long-range 3D perception to smart cars, it said.

The ET25 uses Hesai's in-house developed laser transceiver chip to make the receiver chip several times more sensitive, it said, adding that the product can increase the ranging capability of a 905 nm LiDAR to more than 250 m for objects with 10 percent reflectivity.

With only 12 W of power, the LiDAR has excellent thermal performance and can operate continuously in the cockpit for long periods of time, maintaining high performance even on hot summer days, it said.

The ET25 operates at less than 25 decibels in the cockpit, which is lower than the noise level in a quiet library, meeting the NVH requirements in the cockpit of a luxury electric vehicle brand, Hesai said.

Founded in Shanghai in late 2014, Hesai initially focused on developing high-performance laser sensors and has been exploring driverless LiDAR products since 2016.

On February 9, the company completed its NASDAQ debut, becoming the first Chinese LiDAR manufacturing company to list in the US.

LiDAR-maker Hesai posts Q4 revenue growth of 56.6% YoY in 1st earnings report since US IPO

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