Luminar to supply lidar sensors for Mobileye's self-driving fleet

  • 11/20/2020
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(Reuters) - Luminar Technologies, the self-driving sensor startup that is about to go public, said on Friday that it will supply laser-based lidar sensors to Intel Corp"s INTC.O Mobileye subsidiary for its test fleet of self-driving vehicles. Mobileye is one of the world’s largest suppliers of camera-based sensors used by most top automakers in their advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and also is developing high-definition maps for automated vehicles. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mobileye is also the hub of Intel’s initiative to build a multimodal Mobility as a Service (MaaS) business that incorporates different modes of transportation from e-scooters to robotaxis. Luminar said its lidar will be incorporated into Mobileye’s self-driving hardware and software system, which also uses radar and surround-view cameras. In May, Mobileye acquired Israel startup Moovit, one of the world’s leading MaaS providers, and said the service eventually would include self-driving robotaxis. Mobileye and parent Intel are part of a consortium with BMW BMWG.DE, Aptiv APTV.N and others to develop self-driving systems that the group has said it could sell to other automakers. Luminar said it has development deals with a number of automakers, with Volvo among the first to use the company’s lidar on self-driving vehicles in 2022. In August, Luminar said it planned to go public through a reverse merger with Gores Metropoulos Inc GMHIU.O, a NASDAQ-listed special purpose acquisition company, in a deal valued at $2.9 billion and expected to close this quarter. [GMHIU.O] Investors in that deal include tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Geely Automobile"s 0175.HK Volvo Cars and VectoIQ, the firm that helped Nikola Corp NKLA.O go public through a SPAC, also known as a blank-check firm. Luminar is one of several lidar makers to pursue reverse mergers with SPACs. Velodyne Lidar VLDR.O went public earlier this year, and more recently Aeva announced a similar plan.

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