"The case for camera-only autonomous driving is that humans rely on just their eyes and brains, so the right cameras and AI should be enough. But if truly driverless cars are supposed to be far safer than humans, shouldn't they use sensors that go beyond what humans can perceive? The broad autonomous vehicle industry consensus is yes. And this week, Rivian joined their ranks by offering lidar on the upcoming Rivian R2a remarkable add-on for a vehicle that's tipped to start at just $45,000."
""About 10 years ago, lidar (units) cost in the tens of thousands of dollars," said Vidya Rajagopalan, Rivian's Senior Vice President, Electrical Hardware at the automaker's Autonomy and AI Day event. "Today, you can get a good lidar for several hundred dollars." Moreover, their resolution has only gotten better while they've also shrunk in size. This is also why lidar units have become increasingly pervasive on cars in China, including ultra-affordable models."
Rivian is offering lidar on the upcoming R2 to enable more advanced driver assistance and progress toward full autonomy while keeping a targeted price around $45,000. The lidar addition contrasts with camera-only approaches like Tesla's and reflects an industry belief that sensors beyond human vision improve safety. Lidar systems were once prohibitively expensive and limited to robotaxis, but costs have fallen dramatically and units have shrunk while resolution improved. Lidar now appears on some premium models and increasingly on affordable cars in China. Rivian demonstrated stark sensory differences between camera-only, camera-plus-radar, and lidar-equipped systems.
Read at insideevs.com
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