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Global automotive tech company and lidar specialist Luminar Technologies hosted its annual Luminar Day event at its headquarters in Orlando, Florida, today, offering a slew of updates on its progress. This includes new lidar like its Iris+ sensor, a more clear product roadmap bolstered by a new high-volume production facility in North America, and consolidated subsidiaries into a new semiconductor business. Lots to unfold here, so let’s get started.

If you weren’t already aware, Luminar Technologies Inc. ($LAZR) is an automotive component company founded in 2012 that has established itself as one of the industry leaders in lidar and machine perception technology.

We first learned of Luminar’s Iris lidar sensor following a $100 million funding round it received in 2019 before going public via SPAC deal in the summer of 2020. At the time, Luminar’s Iris lidar was being implemented in Volvo Cars vehicles as a prime component in the automaker’s Highway Pilot self-driving feature.

Volvo has continued to expand its relationship with Luminar over the years, showcasing the latter’s lidar sensor technology in its upcoming EX90 SUV – an EV Volvo is already hailing as the safest it has ever produced. Volvo brand Polestar has also tapped Luminar for its EVs beginning with the Polestar 3 SUV.

Just last week, Mercedes-Benz announced an expansion of its existing partnership with Luminar with an investment reportedly in the “multi-billions,” which will enable it to implement Luminar’s next-generation sensor technology, Iris+, into all future Mercedes-Benz models.

During its Luminar Day event held today, the company officially unveiled the long-anticipated Iris+ lidar sensor as well as several other key updates to its business strategy.

Luminar Day filled with several key announcements

Today’s Luminar Day event was so full of news, the company delivered three separate press releases in addition to the live webcast from its Orland HQ you can view in its entirety below. There’s a lot to unfold here, but here are some of the main takeaways from today’s live event which included words from CEOs at Volvo Cars, Daimler Truck, Polestar, and Pony.ai.

First things first. As we hinted at last week, Luminar officially revealed its Iris+ lidar sensor (seen above) and stated it is already demonstrating its capabilities at its new long-range validation facility that is over 300 meters long. To that note, Luminar believes its the largest ranging facility on the planet.

Iris+ offers a slimmer profile for more seamless integration into EV rooflines compared to its predecessor and has already begun shipping to its “lead customer” (Mercedes?). Iris+ is expected to hit series production vehicle integration in 2025.

In addition to Iris+, Luminar Day also introduced a next-generation lidar sensor that will follow in coming years, using technology gained from the January acquisition of data storage solutions provider Seagate. Founder and CEO Austin Russell spoke about the company’s progress during Luminar Day:

We made a big bet early on, and today it’s more clear than ever the industry has aligned to our products and roadmap for enhancing (not replacing) drivers with next-generation safety and autonomy. As of today, Luminar is now planned into over twenty production vehicle models from automakers. At Luminar Day, both our executives and valued partners are all here to show that we’re not only leading in this new era, but also successfully executing our plans across hardware, software, industrialization, commercial partnerships, and beyond.

During Luminar Day, the company relayed is lidar technology is now planned to be implemented in over 20 production vehicles across multiple automakers, expected to garner at least triple-digit revenue growth each year for the next five years.

To support the growing number of automotive partners adapting its technology, the company shared industrialization plans with those partners to initiate its next phase in scaled production. During Luminar Day, the company announced a new dedicated, high-volume manufacturing facility coming to Mexico, expected to begin operations in Q2 of this year. To begin, the facility will perform “rigorous validation” throughout the second half of 2023 to meet automaker’s standards.

Another key announcement during Luminar Day was the establishment of a new unified entity called Luminar Semiconductor. The new in-house semiconductor business is the integration of the company’s three-chip design subsidiaries – Black Forest Engineering, Optogration, and Freedom Photonics. Per the release:

Luminar’s strategy to bring these advanced receiver, laser and processing chip technologies in-house has enabled its unmatched lidar performance while further securing and industrializing the lidar supply chain. The company is leveraging this investment in its high-performance, specialized semiconductors beyond lidar, and Luminar Semiconductor is already powering applications for customers across a broad range of sectors from communications to medical to aerospace.

Luminar’s AI Engine: Credit: Luminar Technologies

Here are some other key announcements made during the event today:

  • Luminar plans to use all its captured 3D data to serve its AI engine into a robust dataset.
    • Scale.ai and Luminar are partnering to “supercharge” the latter’s AI engine to use HD mapping and construct a 3D model in the driveable world. Scale.ai becomes the lidar company’s exclusive provider of data labeling and AI tools.
  • Luminar announced a commercial agreement with Pony.ai to utilize the former’s hardware and software in its commercial trucking and robotaxi platforms, targeted for 2025.
  • Reinsurance provider Swiss Re and Luminar announce an exclusive partnership to quantify the latter’s on-road safety improvements and their impact on lowering insurance rates for drivers.

Following today’s Luminar Day event, the company said it intends to post its Q4 and full 2022 financial results including a business outlook for 2023 (as if all of today’s news wasn’t enough). You can view today’s webcast in its entirety below.

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After 300 years of innovation, Husqvarna definitely dreams of electric sheep

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After 300 years of innovation, Husqvarna definitely dreams of electric sheep

Founded in 1689, Husqvarna was a musket maker for the king of Sweden – but now, the company best known for quirky motorcycles and commercial riding mowers is becoming an innovator in the field of robotics, and its latest fleet of electric autonomous mowers are eager to get grazing.

Husqvarna’s autonomous lawnmowers made history earlier this year at the AIG Women’s Open, when they became the first autonomous groundskeeping solution to see duty during a UK Major golf week.

“At the AIG Women’s Open, the Husqvarna portfolio is helping us deliver this goal through improved resource management, regular lightweight mowing and reduced carbon usage,” explains Royal Porthcawl’s Course Manager, Ian Kinley, who has championed the use of robotic technology at the course. “With the AIG Women’s Open set to be the largest-ever women’s sporting event in Wales, we know there’s tremendous pressure to produce playing surfaces that are worthy of such a high-profile event.”

The robots themselves operate a bit differently than Husqvarna’s traditional line of big, bad, zero-turn riding mowers that whip through thick grass once or twice a month with heavy, whirling blades. Instead, they employ a series of tiny razor blades that gently nibble at the grass daily – just like little electric sheep grazing on the turf.

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“That cutting system, developed by Husqvarna engineers, has then become the basis for the entire robot mower industry, of which we’re the market leader,” Nick Rawson, VP of Strategy and Business Development at Husqvarna told Forbes.

Events like the AIG Women’s Open are proving that the little robot Huskies can get the job done quietly, sustainably, and with significantly less operator input. As such, you’d think everyone at Husqvarna would be excited about them.

You’d be wrong. The company’s franchise dealers have been hesitant to push them forward, effectively putting the parent company in the position of going B2C, or going home.

“Dealers live and breathe the previous technology,” said Yvette Henshall-Bell, Husqvarna’s President of its Forest and Garden division for Europe, in that same Forbes piece. “They want to protect that servicing, that aftermarket revenue. Whereas if they really thought about what the customer’s problems are and the job to be done, they would be looking at a completely different solution.”

A solution, frankly, that looks a lot like a little robot mower.

The things, themselves


Autonomous mowers at Women’s Open; via Husqvarna.

Husqvarna offers three types of autonomous electric mowers aimed at commercial golf courses, but the Husqvarna CEORA for large-area mowing, and Husqvarna Automower, for smaller, steeper and more complex areas, are the models relevant to this story.

The bigger CEORA can handle up to 18 acres of ground twice each week, while the Automower, with its 80V battery and pinpoint precision EPOS (Exact Positioning Operating System) software, can handle another 2.5 acres. Both are fully electric, and can guide themselves back to their pens to recharge as needed.

Prices aren’t public, but the Husqvarna CEORA and Automowers are available as part of a custom lease package through Husqvarna Finance that will include access to the company’s customizable back end and ongoing support. Check with your local dealer for more.

Electrek’s Take


As a typically pro-union, pro-labor type of guy, I am hesitant to heap praise upon a robot taking away anyone’s job. That said, it does seem to be difficult for landscapers and construction crews to keep and find good labor at rates they can afford (and, let’s face it – the current Trump Administration isn’t going to be making that any easier). As such, if companies like Husqvarna and John Deere and Einride and others can build a demonstrably better mousetrap at a compelling price point … good for them. (?)

Let us know what you think in the comments.

SOURCES: Forbes, Golf Monthly; images by Husqvarna.


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Podcast: Apple CarPlay in Tesla cars, VW on Superchargers, Toyota electric pickup, and more

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Podcast: Apple CarPlay in Tesla cars, VW on Superchargers, Toyota electric pickup, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Apple CarPlay possibly coming to Tesla cars, VW getting access to Superchargers, a Toyota electric pickup, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:

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October EV sales slid, but deals and rebates are still in play

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October EV sales slid, but deals and rebates are still in play

US EV sales declined in October following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit on September 30, and the average transaction price (ATP) edged up, according to initial estimates from Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive brand. However, there are still deals to be had.

Kelley Blue Book’s initial estimates show that US EV sales fell to 74,835 in October, down 48.9% from September, which was a record month, and 30.3% year-over-year.

Prices also ticked up. The average transaction price (ATP) for a new EV climbed 1.6% month-over-month to $59,125, which is 2.3% higher than a year ago.

Tesla didn’t escape the downturn, but it held up better than the overall EV market. The company’s ATP fell 1.1% from September to $53,526, and its prices are 5.5% lower than they were in October 2024. Sales of the Model 3 and Model Y both declined month-over-month, and overall Tesla sales decreased by 35.3% from September and 23.6% year-over-year, which are smaller declines compared to the broader EV segment.

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Cox Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Valdez Streaty said the shift wasn’t surprising:

We expected this shift in the electric vehicle market. With the IRA-backed sales incentives gone, lower-cost EV volume was hit hard, pushing the mix toward more luxury and driving October’s EV ATP to a 2025 high of $59,125 – now $9,359 above the industry average. Affordability has always been the core challenge with EV sales, and this reset only underscores how critical it is to bring more attainable EV options to market.

Electrek’s Take

September was a record-breaking month for both EV deals and sales. Dealers were offering all sorts of sweet incentives to stack with the federal tax credit to move cars off the lot. October’s sales drop was entirely anticipated, like a pounding headache after a big blowout party.

We didn’t know what the post-federal tax credit EV market would look like. As Valdez Streaty rightly states, EVs do have a higher ATP than the industry average. But it turns out that, so far, it’s not all doom and gloom, and the federal tax credit isn’t the only incentive in town.

Every month, I compile great EV lease deals, and for the last few months, some EVs’ monthly lease payments have been cheaper than before the federal tax credit expired. Many states are still offering rebates on EV purchases, and dealers still have really good deals. While cheaper models would definitely be welcome, there are good deals available right now.

And let’s not forget the fact that EVs are much cheaper to drive than gas cars, with or without that tax credit.

Read more: From $189 a month: 5 of the best EV lease deals in November [Updated]


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