Next-generation Volvo cars to be powered by Luminar LiDAR technology for safe self-driving

Volvo Cars, one of the global leaders in automotive safety, is setting new safety and technology standards by partnering with tech firm Luminar to provide their LiDAR and perception technology for Volvo’s next-generation cars. The partnership will deliver Volvo’s first fully self-driving technology for highways and paves the way for future active safety developments.

Volvo Cars’ next-generation SPA 2 modular vehicle architecture will be available as hardware-ready for the autonomous drive from production start in 2022, with the Luminar LiDAR seamlessly integrated into the roof. Cars based on SPA 2 will be updated with software over the air and if customers decide to opt for it, the Highway Pilot feature that enables fully autonomous highway driving will be activated once it is verified to be safe for individual geographic locations and conditions.

In addition to the Highway Pilot feature, Volvo Cars and Luminar are also exploring LiDAR’s role in improving future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), with the potential for equipping all future SPA2-based cars with a LiDAR sensor as standard. Luminar’s technology is based on its high-performance LiDAR sensors, which emit millions of pulses of laser light to accurately detect where objects are by scanning the environment in 3D, creating a temporary, real-time map without requiring internet connectivity.

Learn more about Lidar, a remote sensing method.

LiDAR is key in creating cars that can navigate safely in autonomous mode, providing them with the reliable vision and perception that cameras and radar alone cannot provide. LiDAR is the ideal basis for safe decision-making in complex environments at high speeds.

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