Shanghai (ZXZC)- On July 30, Germany-based technology company Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH (Ibeo Automotive) announced that it will supply solid-state LiDAR to Great Wall Motor (GWM), China's biggest SUV and pickup manufacturer, and its newly developed ibeoNEXT Solid State LiDAR will be used on the SUV model under GWM's WEY brand.

(Photo source: Liaodao Intelligence's WeChat account)

German auto parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG has been commissioned by Ibeo Automotive to produce the sensors and control units. Meanwhile, GWM has entrusted its subsidiary, Haomo Technology Co., Ltd., with the task of developing the Level 3 autonomous driving system.

Following the signing of a letter of intent in 2019, Ibeo has already been in pre-development with GWM for a year. The project officially began with the signing of a purchase contract by both parties on July 13, 2020.

According to the contract, Ibeo will offer GWM a LiDAR system that enables vehicles to run on highways autonomously for a long distance at Level 3. The system is composed of the new ibeoNEXT Solid State LiDAR, a control unit and sensing software that recognizes objects, so as to enable safe driving in interaction with other system.

(WEY VV6, photo source: WEY）

The Chinese automaker will apply Ibeo's technologies in the mass-produced SUVs under its premium brand WEY and the large scale installation of Ibeo's LiDAR system will start in 2022.

LiangDao Intelligence, a Chinese intelligent testing & evaluation service provider aimed at promoting the level 3 to 5 autonomous driving technologies into mass production, is responsible for the testing and validation of the full set of LiDAR systems, involving such services and products as the building of the true value system for sensor evaluation and the offering of the tool chain for extracting automated scenarios and the big data platform for testing and validation.

"The LiDAR series contract with Great Wall Motor is one of the largest ever signed worldwide. For Ibeo, the cooperation is an important milestone with which we are further extending our global technological leadership in the field of LiDAR. We are the first supplier in China to use LiDAR sensors to enable Level 3 automated driving in a production vehicle there," says Dr. Ulrich Lages, CEO of Ibeo. "Together with Great Wall Motor, we will further develop our sensor systems and solutions for autonomous driving. We are proud to have a strong validation partner in LiangDao on board."