From the perspective of value distribution in the industrial chain, LiDAR has higher added value due to technological barriers and scarce manufacturers.
Lidar is the most expensive of the three types of laser sensors and an essential component of advanced autonomous driving. It has always been priced by the seller, but in recent years, domestic brands have shown a trend of latecomers in the field of lidar: domestic players such as Hesai Technology and Sagitar Juchuang have launched different product lines and solutions, focusing on cost-effectiveness while meeting the requirements of vehicle specifications, and seizing Velodyne market share with price advantages.
Domestic mechanical rotating LiDAR of the same specifications is much cheaper than Velodyne. Velodyne's 64 line LiDAR once reached a price of $100000, but after a price reduction, it still costs over 500000 RMB, while the suggested retail price of PandarQT, a 64 line product launched by Hesai in January this year, is set at $4999.
It is believed that although there are still many factors limiting the landing of fully autonomous vehicles, cost may not be the top priority for operating companies, and whether performance meets standards and stability may be more important.
Launching a laser radar that can carry more information can accelerate the implementation of Robotaxi operations. Some laser radars have a detection distance of 200 meters, but in reality, the perception distance cannot reach 200 meters, which may result in inability to perceive or perception errors. ”Wang Xiaobin stated.
In fact, it is not only the fully unmanned taxis of Didi, Xiaoma Zhixing, and Wenyuan Zhixing in China that are equipped with Hesai's LiDAR, but also the national brand is entering Silicon Valley. As of 2019, over half of the companies in California DMV that have obtained autonomous driving licenses are customers of Hesa. Public information shows that among the top 15 companies in the global autonomous driving test mileage rankings, 12 have chosen Hesai's products as their main sensors, including top autonomous driving companies such as General Cruise, Zoox, Aurora, which have had deep cooperation with Velodyne.
Multi sensor fusion inside the car, assisted by roadside data outside the car