Israeli lidar startup Innoviz will provide its lidar sensors and perception software to all vehicles with automatic driving capabilities within the Volkswagen group’s brands, the company said Tuesday.
Innoviz will work directly with VW’s automotive software company Cariad SE to integrate its technology into future VW vehicles.
The partnership with VW is Innoviz’s third design win with a Tier 1 supplier. in April, BMW revealed that Innoviz’s lidar on the 2023 would be BMW i7 electric vehiclesand in May last year, Innoviz was selected by another undisclosed Tier 1 automotive supplier for its autonomous shuttle program.
VW has not yet revealed which models will be built first with Innoviz’s technology, but the automaker has taken several steps to improve its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving capabilities. Earlier this year, Cariad and Bosch team up to develop automated driving software for use in VW cars, and in May, VW chose Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride platform to power its ADAS and automated driving.
Innoviz says the VW program, which carries a forward-looking order book of $4 billion, will bring the startup’s total estimated revenue to $6.6 billion.
Innoviz says it can achieve a high level of performance, up to 300 meters of visual range, at a low cost using a 905 nanometer (nm) laser. Velodyne, a lidar rival, also uses a 905nm laser and claims to be able to reach a range of up to 300 meters. Velodyne’s best performing lidar, however, is 128 lines at up to 20 frames per second. By comparison, Innoviz has 600 lines at up to 20 frames per second, the company says.
Keilaf claims that Velodyne’s products are priced in the thousands of dollars, while Innoviz’s are priced in the hundreds. toptecheasy.com was unable to confirm charges with Velodyne.
“What really sets Innoviz and this deal apart is that we won the deal as a Tier 1 supplier,” Keilaf told toptecheasy.com. “Innoviz is the only lidar manufacturer to have achieved this predicate. This represents a major shift – not just for Innoviz, but for the entire auto industry – in the way automakers interact with their technology suppliers. As a Tier 1 supplier, we benefit from direct access to OEMs, as well as increased margins and profits.”
