Mercedes uses Luminar lidar systems in cars – picture and sound – news

Luminar will supply Mercedes’ lidar systems, which Mercedes may want to use in the EQS and S-Class to deliver Level 3 autonomous driving. The car manufacturer will provide Luminar with data again, which will assist the company in its lidar development.

The two companies did not provide any financial details or mention the vehicles in which the lidar systems should appear, other than the mass-production systems and passenger cars. Presumably it pertains to the EQS and the S-class. Mercedes announced at the end of last year that it had received approval from the German equivalent of RDW for self-driving with these cars in Level 3. This approval applies across the European Union, among other places, but in practice it can Only use it on the German highway if the top speed is 60 km/h.

This self-driving car is part of the Mercedes Drive Pilot package. Vehicles equipped with this package have a lidar sensor in the front bumper, which maps the environment in front of the vehicle to enable autonomous driving. Luminar will probably supply this sensor. Two Mercedes models will go on sale with the Drive Pilot at the end of this year. As part of the agreement, Luminar will receive data from Drive Pilot vehicles so that Luminar can improve and upgrade its lidar systems.

In addition to Mercedes, Luminar also works with Volvo, AudiAnd nvidia and Intel together for passenger cars, and with Daimler to develop independent trucks. Car manufacturers not only use lidar for autonomous driving, but also combine this data with, for example, cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors. Not all auto manufacturers are convinced of the need for lidar; Tesla thinks so Only possible with cameras.