Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has announced a sales agreement with Idriverplus to provide Puck™ sensors over three years. Idriverplus will use Velodyne lidar sensors in mass production of its commercial autonomous vehicles, including street cleaners, passenger cars and logistics vehicles.
Idriverplus plans to place into commercial operation in China thousands of units of its unmanned, electric street cleaning vehicles, called WOXIAOBAI, with each vehicle equipped with two Puck sensors to ensure security and perception. Idriverplus vehicles are being used to clean and disinfect hospital areas as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic in China.
Idriverplus is also developing two autonomous car solutions; an SAE Level 4 vehicle designed to drive in closed parks and some public roads, and an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) for automatic parking (AVP) and highway follow-up (HWP). The company’s WOBIDA product applies self-driving technology to the logistics industry, providing a safer and better last mile delivery experience.
Idriverplus was the first company in China to mass produce driverless products and receive orders for 1,000 driverless vehicles. The company’s founders all come from Tsinghua University, China’s leading research university.
“We selected Velodyne sensors because of the outstanding lidar quality and mass production scale they provide,” said Idriverplus CEO Dr. Zhang Dezhao. “Our successful experience working with Velodyne lidar shows it delivers cutting-edge performance. Teaming with Velodyne will help us achieve our goal of high-volume manufacturing of commercial autonomous vehicles.”
“Idriverplus has a talented technical team that is leading the way in driverless technology commercialization,” said Wei Weng, Executive Director of Asia, Velodyne Lidar. “Their autonomous vehicles demonstrate how Velodyne lidar sensors address the production and scalability requirements needed for mass deployments. We have confidence in the China market and are honored to work with companies like Idriverplus to help them be successful in autonomous vehicle deployment.”
Velodyne Puck sensors provide rich computer perception data that allows real-time object and free space detection needed for safe navigation and reliable operation. The Puck is a small, compact lidar sensor that delivers 100 meters range. Its reliability, power-efficiency and surround view make it an ideal solution for affordable low speed autonomy applications.
