LiDAR research: Chinese passenger cars will carry over 80,000 LiDAR sensors in 2022
1. The mass production of LiDAR is accelerating, and the installations are expected to exceed 80,000 units in 2022
Since 2021, LiDAR industry has entered the stage of commercialization. Local OEMs have taken the lead in mass-producing a number of models, including Xpeng P5, Aion LX PLUS, NIO ET7, and Li L9.
According to the statistics from ResearchInChina, Chinese new passenger cars were equipped with 24,700 LiDAR sensors in the first half of 2022, of which 18,400 units or 74.4% was seen in Xpeng P5.
In the second half of 2022, there will be more than 10 new models featuring LiDAR to be delivered in China, including Xpeng G9 and WM M7, which will spur LiDAR installations to exceed 80,000 units in the full year.
2. The "rotating mirror + MEMS" technical solution is the first choice for mass production
At present, production models mainly adopt "rotating mirror + MEMS" technical solution, such as HESAI AT128, RoboSense M1, Huawei 96-channel LiDAR, Innovusion Falcon, etc...
RoboSense launched it semi-solid-state LiDAR - M1 in June 2021. Based on 2D MEMS smart chip scanning technology, it has “GAZE” function with intelligent zoom and detection distance of 150m for 10% reflectivity targets. So far, it has been designated by 40+ models. In 2022, it served GAC Aion LX Plus, IM L7, WM M7, Xpeng G9, Lotus, etc.
Huawei's 96-channel hybrid solid-state LiDAR adopts a rotating mirror solution, with a field of view of 120?x25? and a maximum detection distance of 150 meters. It has been mass-produced for ARCFOX αS (Huawei HI version), Neta S, and Avatr 11, and will be applied to other models such as Saloon Mecha Dragon which will boast 4 units located at the front, rear, and both sides of the front.
In the short term, the "rotating mirror + MEMS" solution is still the mainstream for local LiDAR installations on vehicles. In the long run, solid-state solutions (flash, OPA) and FMCW LiDAR will be play main roles.
Especially, the flash solution has achieved a breakthrough. In May 2022, LiangDao Intelligence released its first self-developed flash lateral LiDAR - LD Satellite for Chinese market, with a chip-based design and a vertical field of view of 75°-90°. It will be mass-produced in the second half of 2023. In the future, LiangDao Intelligence will combine LD Satellite with its experience in perception development and verification testing to provide LiDAR software and hardware integrated solutions for Chinese market.
A number of enterprises have deployed OPA technology, such as VanJee Technology, Litra Technology, GENIUS PROS, LuminWave, etc. Among them, VanJee Technology plans to release silicon-based OPA LiDAR with a range of 30 meters in August 2022, and automotive silicon-based OPA LiDAR in June 2024.
In addition, Chinese companies such as LeiShen Intelligent System and HESAI are developing FMCW technology. In July 2022, Aeva announced that the first Aeries? II 4D LiDAR had been produced and shipped to customers as the world's first FMCW LiDAR delivered. This will inspire breakthroughs in FMCW technology in China.
3. Mass production and delivery capabilities should be improved comprehensively
Thanks to the definite LiDAR technology route, many Chinese suppliers have improved capacity swiftly through foundries, cooperation and self-built factories.
The "Maxwell" intelligent manufacturing center invested by HESAI with nearly US$200 million is expected to be fully put into operation in 2022, with an annual capacity of more than one million units. Innovusion cooperates with Joyson Electronics. The first automotive-grade LiDAR production line has an annual output of 100,000 units. The second production line located in Xiangcheng District, Suzhou is expected to be put into operation in 2022, with a monthly capacity of 20,000 units.
In addition to large-scale production, suppliers are reducing LiDAR cost and accelerating mass production and applications through hardware integration and chipization. For instance, HESAI AT128 is a long-range semi-solid-state LiDAR based on a VCSEL array (the second-generation chip is provided by Lumentum). The VCSEL array embedded in the chip replaces the traditional discrete light source to significantly slash the manufacturing cost of LiDAR.
The solid-state LiDAR of LiangDao Intelligence leverages the flash technology upgrade solution - VCSEL electric drive scanning and SPAD partition receiving technology to dramatically amplify the detection distance of flash LiDAR. Plus the design of optical lens, it offers a wide field of view.
In general, Chinese LiDAR suppliers mainly focus on cost reduction in laser transceiver module (about 60% of cost). For a long time, the technology of electronic components such as lasers and detectors has been monopolized by foreign companies. However, in recent years, some Chinese enterprises have gradually broken through technical barriers, launched automotive-grade products, and secure orders from automakers.
Vertilite’s VCSEL has been certified by AEC-Q102 and IATF 16949, and won the bid for a major LiDAR customer's OEM mass production project. In March 2022, the company received investment from Huawei, Xiaomi, BYD, DJI, etc.; in August, HESAI and RoboSense became its shareholders.
Fortsense began to develop LiDAR SPAD chips in 2019, successfully taped out in 2021, and received a custom order from a leading automaker in early 2022.
In-vehicle Payment and ETC Market Research Report, 2024
Research on in-vehicle payment and ETC: analysis on three major application scenarios of in-vehicle payment
In-vehicle payment refers to users selecting and purchasing goods or services in the car an...
Automotive Audio System Industry Report, 2024
Automotive audio systems in 2024: intensified stacking, and involution on number of hardware and software tuning
Sales of vehicle models equipped with more than 8 speakers have made stea...
China Passenger Car Highway & Urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) Research Report, 2024
NOA industry research: seven trends in the development of passenger car NOA
In recent years, the development path of autonomous driving technology has gradually become clear, and the industry is acce...
Automotive Cloud Service Platform Industry Report, 2024
Automotive cloud services: AI foundation model and NOA expand cloud demand, deep integration of cloud platform tool chainIn 2024, as the penetration rate of intelligent connected vehicles continues to...
OEMs’ Passenger Car Model Planning Research Report, 2024-2025
Model Planning Research in 2025: SUVs dominate the new lineup, and hybrid technology becomes the new focus of OEMs
OEMs’ Passenger Car Model Planning Research Report, 2024-2025 focuses on the medium ...
Passenger Car Intelligent Chassis Controller and Chassis Domain Controller Research Report, 2024
Chassis controller research: More advanced chassis functions are available in cars, dozens of financing cases occur in one year, and chassis intelligence has a bright future. The report combs th...
New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management System Market Research Report, 2024
xEV thermal management research: develop towards multi-port valve + heat pump + liquid cooling integrated thermal management systems.
The thermal management system of new energy vehicles evolves fro...
New Energy Vehicle Electric Drive and Power Domain industry Report, 2024
OEMs lead the integrated development of "3 + 3 + X platform", and the self-production rate continues to increase
The electric drive system is developing around technical directions of high integratio...
Global and China Automotive Smart Glass Research Report, 2024
Research on automotive smart glass: How does glass intelligence evolve
ResearchInChina has released the Automotive Smart Glass Research Report 2024. The report details the latest advances in di...
Passenger Car Brake-by-Wire and AEB Market Research Report, 2024
1. EHB penetration rate exceeded 40% in 2024H1 and is expected to overshoot 50% within the yearIn 2024H1, the installations of electro-hydraulic brake (EHB) approached 4 million units, a year-on-year ...
Autonomous Driving Data Closed Loop Research Report, 2024
Data closed loop research: as intelligent driving evolves from data-driven to cognition-driven, what changes are needed for data loop?
As software 2.0 and end-to-end technology are introduced into a...
Research Report on Intelligent Vehicle E/E Architectures (EEA) and Their Impact on Supply Chain in 2024
E/E Architecture (EEA) research: Advanced EEAs have become a cost-reducing tool and brought about deep reconstruction of the supply chain
The central/quasi-central + zonal architecture has become a w...
Automotive Digital Power Supply and Chip Industry Report, 2024
Research on automotive digital power supply: looking at the digital evolution of automotive power supply from the power supply side, power distribution side, and power consumption side
This report fo...
Automotive Software Business Models and Suppliers’ Layout Research Report, 2024
Software business model research: from "custom development" to "IP/platformization", software enters the cost reduction cycle
According to the vehicle software system architecture, this report classi...
Passenger Car Intelligent Steering Industry Research Report, 2024
Intelligent Steering Research: Steer-by-wire is expected to land on independent brand models in 2025
The Passenger Car Intelligent Steering Industry Research Report, 2024 released by ResearchInChina ...
China Passenger Car Mobile Phone Wireless Charging Research Report, 2024
China Passenger Car Mobile Phone Wireless Charging Research Report, 2024 highlights the following:Passenger car wireless charging (principle, standards, and Qi2.0 protocol);Passenger car mobile phone ...
Automotive Smart Exteriors Research Report, 2024
Research on automotive smart exteriors: in the trend towards electrification and intelligence, which exteriors will be replaced by intelligence
The Automotive Smart Exteriors Research Report, 2024 r...
Automotive Fragrance and Air Conditioning System Research Report, 2024
Research on automotive fragrance/air purification: With surging installations, automotive olfactory interaction is being linked with more scenarios.
As users require higher quality of personalized, i...