LEINFELDEN-ECHTERDINGEN, Germany, BLACKSBURG, Virginia AND MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., January 09, 2024 – Aeva® (NYSE: AEVA) and Daimler Truck AG (“Daimler Truck”) announced today that Daimler Truck has selected Aeva as the supplier of long and ultra-long range LiDAR for its series production autonomous commercial vehicle program.
Under the production collaboration, Aeva will supply its latest Aeva Atlas™ automotive grade 4D LiDAR technology to Daimler Truck and collaborate with Torc Robotics, Inc. (“Torc”), an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, to enable SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle capabilities beginning with the Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck platform. Daimler Truck intends to integrate the LiDAR sensors directly into its production process. This will also enable customers to purchase autonomous-ready trucks directly from its manufacturing plants without requiring retrofitting of sensors.
Torc in turn will sell its virtual driver technology and supporting services as a subscription to customers. Torc’s driving software will utilize Aeva’s perception software, constructed based on Aeva’s instant velocity data. This enables it to detect objects faster, farther away, and with higher accuracy. The multi-year collaboration begins in the first quarter of 2024. Moreover, Aeva’s start of production is expected by 2026, and Daimler Truck’s production is set to ramp up by 2027.
LiDAR is a key enabling technology in autonomous driving. Traditional LiDAR sensors use laser pulses to sense distances to objects. Aeva’s unique Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D LiDAR technology employs a low-power continuous laser beam. This allows it to simultaneously measure range and velocity for every point. This also enables vehicles to unlock new levels of safety and automation. It does so by instantaneously discriminating between static and dynamic points and knowing the precise velocity of dynamic objects.
Joanna Buttler, Head of Global Autonomous Technology Group at Daimler Truck: “Daimler Truck is committed to leading the industry’s advancement toward autonomous trucks. Selecting the right LiDAR technology is a crucial strategic decision to safely deploy autonomous trucks on the road. We firmly believe that Aeva, with its cutting-edge and reliable technology, represents the ideal production partner for LiDAR sensors. Aeva also has the manufacturing capabilities to scale along with us. Today’s announcement therefore represents a key puzzle piece on our path towards commercialization. Together with Torc, we are well on track to offer autonomous trucks to the U.S. market by 2027.”
Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO at Torc Robotics adds: “Aeva is pioneering the commercialization of FMCW LiDAR technology, a key differentiator for long range detection and object identification. Torc’s virtual driving software can now rely on significantly higher resolution, as well as farther and clearer detection of objects plus instant velocity detection. These improvements are crucial to safely deploy autonomous trucks at scale. We have been working closely with the Aeva team over the past few years. We are excited about the real-world performance that Aeva’s technology has already demonstrated. It helps us solve some of the most challenging highway-speed use cases.”
Daimler Truck and Torc have made significant progress in turning autonomous trucks from an idea into reality. They have run extensive and successful on-road test programs, as well as first customer pilots. Daimler Truck and Torc have equipped their trucks with sensor sets to maximize the safety of autonomous trucks. These sets incorporate a combination of three technologies, namely state-of-the-art LiDAR, radar, and camera technology. Moreover, this enables safe handling adapted to the respective situation on highways, surface roads, and ramps. It also ensures safety during turning at controlled intersections.
The selection represents Aeva’s first major automotive OEM production design win. It is the result of multiple years of extensive collaboration and qualification with Daimler Truck, Torc, and Daimler Truck North America. As a direct supplier to Daimler Truck, Aeva is positioned to be a Tier 1 supplier to automotive OEMs globally.
“Daimler Truck is one of the most reputable commercial vehicle OEMs in the world. Our partnership with Daimler Truck and Torc Robotics is trailblazing the next era of commercial trucking, with safe, autonomous trucks that will revolutionize the industry as we know it,” said Soroush Salehian, Co-Founder and CEO at Aeva. “We are pleased that the Aeva team’s hard work, innovation, and tenacity have earned us this major production supplier award. This achievement is a testament to our progress in leading the industry with our unique FMCW technology and perception solution as we cross another critical milestone in Aeva’s path.”
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