[231128] #RoboSense #Quanergy #Benewake

1. RoboSense claims acceleration in automotive lidar sales

• • RoboSense, a China-based lidar company, has experienced a significant increase in demand for its products, particularly from automotive companies.
  • In the September quarter, the company sold nearly 60,000 sensor units, with approximately 53,000 units purchased by vehicle makers for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications.
  • The ADAS sales figure alone surpassed the total unit sales recorded by RoboSense in the first half of the year.
  • As of the end of the September quarter, RoboSense has sold over 106,000 lidar sensors overall, with ADAS sales accounting for more than 93,000 units.
  • The company achieved a quarterly record in the industry, with 19 vehicle models featuring its lidar sensors now in mass production, up from 13 in June.
  • RoboSense has gained three additional automotive OEM customers, bringing its total number of design wins to 61.
  • The surge in demand aligns with the findings of a recent report from Yole Intelligence, predicting that RoboSense and Hesai Technology would lead the market in automotive lidar in 2023.
  • Yole expects Hesai Technology and RoboSense to take the first two places in the lidar market for passenger cars in 2023.

2. Vancouver International Airport Deploys Quanergy 3D LiDAR Solution to Improve Passenger Journey

• • Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has selected Quanergy Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of 3D LiDAR security solutions, to analyze footfall and passenger journeys for improving operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction.
  • Quanergy’s 3D LiDAR solution surpassed the capabilities of existing camera-based and 3D stereoscopic sensor solutions previously used by YVR for queue analysis and people-counting.
  • YVR deployed Quanergy’s 3D LiDAR sensor and advanced perception software solution, Q-Track, to accurately identify, classify, and track people/objects, providing real-time insights for enhanced operational efficiency.
  • The implementation enables YVR to gain a deep understanding of passenger volumes, wait times, and operational challenges at different stages of the journey through the terminal.
  • The high-precision data allows YVR to trigger real-time alerts when predefined thresholds are approached or exceeded, facilitating seamless collaboration with stakeholders and ensuring a smooth and stress-free passenger experience.
  • Quanergy’s solution reduces deployment costs, as one 3D LiDAR sensor provides coverage equivalent to up to five stereoscopic cameras. YVR needed only one Quanergy LiDAR to cover the same area that would have required seven or more of their previous sensors.
  • The total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage, including installation, cabling, and maintenance costs, made Quanergy’s solution more cost-effective, allowing YVR to scale the implementation quickly.

3. DiDi Autonomous Driving invests in LiDAR maker Benewake

• • On November 17, DiDi Autonomous Driving announced an investment exceeding a hundred million yuan in Benewake (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Benewake) to support the development and mass application of robust perception LiDAR.
  • DiDi Autonomous Driving had previously collaborated with Benewake in April to develop China’s first 2K image-level high-precision LiDAR, named Benewake Beta. This increased investment strengthens the strategic partnership between the two companies.
  • Benewake focuses on advancing domestic LiDAR production and has its own LiDAR platform, “Benewake Yinglong,” which utilizes breakthrough technological architecture, including 905nm array transceivers, high-precision 2D scanning, and a custom SoC, addressing performance, customization, and cost challenges.
  • The Beiyao Beta, a LiDAR jointly developed with DiDi Autonomous Driving, utilizes the “Benewake Yinglong” platform and is designed for exceptional performance and adaptability in L4 Robotaxi scenarios.
  • Benewake has also developed the 256-line automotive-grade LiDAR AD2-s based on the “Benewake Yinglong” platform, capable of measuring distances up to 200 meters at 10% reflectivity, featuring a maximum 0.1° angular resolution and a 120°x25.6° field of view, suitable for various intelligent driving scenarios, including passenger and operational vehicles with L2+ intelligent capabilities and beyond.
  • In addition to DiDi Autonomous Driving’s investment, Benewake signed a collaboration agreement with Guangzhou Huadu District to establish a high-performance LiDAR R&D center and national headquarters.
  • The project, with an estimated total investment of about 3 billion yuan, aims to achieve a revenue of 6 billion yuan within five years, covering R&D, intelligent manufacturing, business expansion, and marketing settlement centers.

4. Aurrigo International plc returns to Milton Keynes with self-driving shuttle trial

• • Aurrigo International plc, a leading UK autonomous technology specialist, is returning to Milton Keynes nine years after deploying its 4-seater driverless pods in the city.
  • Aurrigo will be trialling its Auto-Shuttle vehicle on a city centre loop connecting Santander’s new UK HQ at Unity Place with Centre:MK, the Theatre District, and Station Square throughout November.
  • The testing is part of the LivingLAPT project funded by EIT Urban Mobility and led by University College London (UCL).
  • Auto-Shuttle, carrying up to 8 passengers, utilizes five lidar sensors and seven cameras for a full 360-degree view, navigating safely along public roads with an onboard operator capable of taking control if needed.
  • The trials aim to advance autonomous electric vehicle deployments in real-world situations and gather feedback from users to enhance the service to meet passenger needs.
  • UCL’s research team will monitor the trials and focus on reducing the need for human safety operators while ensuring safety and trust in autonomous vehicles.

5. Top Innovation Award for MAN

• • MAN Truck & Bus has won the 2024 Truck Innovation Award, presented by the International Truck of the Year jury, for its autonomous driving projects ATLAS-L4 and ANITA.
  • This marks the second time MAN has won the award, the first being in 2019 for its aFAS Level 4 automated driverless safety truck.
  • The award acknowledges significant technological changes and the energy transition in the automotive sector and is decided by the OToY jury, comprising 25 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists from major trucking magazines in Europe and South Africa.
  • MAN’s ANITA (Autonomous Innovation in Terminal Operations) project, started in 2020, aims to automate handling between different modes of transport, stabilizing processes involved in transferring containers from road to rail.
  • The ATLAS-L4 project (Automated Transport between Logistics Centres on Level 4 Expressways) focuses on putting Level 4 autonomous trucks on the road in real-world operations. It is part of Germany’s law on autonomous driving approved in 2021.
  • ATLAS-L4 successfully covered its first kilometers at MAN’s Munich test site, testing functionalities, interfaces, and safety-relevant subsystems for Level 4 architecture.
  • The next major milestone for ATLAS-L4 is running on public roads, with the test vehicle expected to take its first trips on the highway by the end of the year with a safety driver on board.
  • The goal of ATLAS-L4 is to prove the feasibility of using Level 4 automated and driverless vehicles on the highway, contributing to the concept of Logistics 4.0.