Israeli lidar startup Innoviz said Tuesday it will supply lidar sensors and sensing software to all self-driving-enabled vehicles from Volkswagen Group brands. Innoviz will work directly with Cariad SE, Volkswagen’s automotive software company, to integrate its technology into upcoming Volkswagen vehicles.
The partnership with Volkswagen is Innoviz’s third win with a Tier 1 supplier. in April, BMW revealed that Innoviz’s LiDAR will be used in the 2023 BMW i7 electric vehicle, and last May, Innoviz was selected by another unnamed Tier 1 automotive supplier for its self-driving shuttle program.
Volkswagen has not yet revealed which models will use Innoviz’s technology first, but the automaker has been making several moves to improve its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving capabilities. Earlier this year, Cariad and Bosch partnered to develop autonomous driving software for Volkswagen, and in May, Volkswagen selected Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride platform to support its ADAS and autonomous driving.
Innoviz said the Volkswagen project brought in $4 billion in advance orders, bringing the startup’s projected total sales to $6.6 billion.
Innoviz said it was able to achieve a high level of performance at a low cost using a 905 nanometer (nm) laser with a vision range of up to 300 meters. LIDAR competitor Velodyne also uses a 905 nm laser and claims to be able to reach a range of 300 meters. However, Velodyne’s highest performance LIDAR is 128 lines at up to 20 frames per second. In comparison, Innoviz has 600 lines and up to 20 frames per second, the company said.
Keilaf claims Velodyne’s product costs thousands of dollars, while Innoviz’s costs hundreds of dollars.
“What really sets Innoviz and this deal apart is that we won the deal as a Tier 1 supplier,” Keilaf said.” Innoviz is the only LiDAR manufacturer to receive this designation. This marks a significant shift – not just for Innoviz, but for the automotive industry as a whole – in the way automakers work with technology suppliers. As a Tier 1 supplier, we benefit from direct access to original equipment manufacturers and increased margins and profits.”
