Velodyne Lidar, Inc. today 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.
This year, 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.