Mercedes-Benz will equip its self-driving cars with Chinese laser lidar. According to Reuters, the company has already chosen a supplier - Chinese lidar manufacturer Hesai, the country's largest.
Interestingly, this is the first time a foreign automaker has purchased Chinese technology for its cars, which will be sold worldwide.
The choice of Hesai was made after several months of searching for a supplier due to the difficult geopolitical situation. The company was chosen due to its large-scale production and low costs.
Hesai has been in business for more than a decade and supplies its sensors to a number of major Chinese automotive giants such as Lixiang, Changan, SAIC and FAW.
Mercedes-Benz has not yet officially confirmed the agreement with the Chinese supplier. Reuters' information is confirmed by a statement from Hesai, according to which the company has concluded an exclusive multi-year contract with a "leading European automaker".
Lidar is a laser locator used in autonomous driving systems. Mercedes-Benz has a third-level autopilot - the Drive Pilot system, which is equipped in the electric EQS and the flagship S-Class sedan.
The new version of Drive Pilot, introduced last year, works at speeds up to 95 km/h. By the end of the decade, the company promises to raise this threshold to the maximum permissible 130 km/h.