With an objective to push the boundaries of autonomous driving (AD) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), three global leaders in their respective areas have come together to provide OEMs world over with access to a full-range of solutions.
The new cooperation among global engineering major FEV, Beijing LiangDao Intelligent Automotive Technology and Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH will bundle competencies to offer solutions for Level 3 and Level 4 AD and ADAS.
In addition to CO2 neutrality, ADAS and AD systems are of the highest importance when defining future mobility. These technologies will significantly improve safety, comfort and efficiency.
Over the years, FEV has established strong expertise in the field of ADAS and AD. As part of the understanding among the triumvirate, FEV’s system expertise is combined with Ibeo’s premium LiDAR technology and solutions, while LiangDao complements the partnership with LiDAR testing and data management solutions.
“The application of LiDAR technology is capable of improving the performance and reliability of perception significantly,” said Dr Thomas Hülshorst, Vice President Intelligent Mobility & Software, FEV. He said the partners, through their competitive approach, will decisively drive the progress and implementation of automated driving.
Bringing Strengths Together
FEV and Ibeo have already cooperated successfully on various ADAS and AD projects in the past.
A technology leader in LiDAR sensors, Ibeo has been developing these with matching software solutions for ADAS- and AD-type functions for more than 20 years. The Hamburg, Germany-based company has successfully introduced LiDAR technology to vehicle series production.
LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is a technology used for optical measurement of distance and speed as well as for precise position detection of stationary and moving objects. Although critical to the future of intelligent mobility, commercialisation of LiDAR for automotive use offers insurmountable challenges to many developers, which results in fragmentation throughout the industry, said a release issued by FEV.
“Perception systems, especially LiDAR systems, play a crucial role in automated driving,” said Dr Ulrich Lages, CEO, Ibeo adding he is confident that the partners can help accelerate the development of ADAS and automated driving solutions by using Ibeo’s technology.
LiangDao, on the other hand, enters the alliance as an expert in testing and validation of LiDAR systems, offering data acquisition solutions and ground truth tools for vehicle fleet testing. The Beijing-headquartered company also brings its huge expertise regarding the Chinese market to the cooperation, which is one of the key regions for automated driving technology.
“The implementation of automated driving is only possible in cooperation with industry partners. For this reason, we look forward to working with Ibeo and FEV with great confidence,” said Dr Xueming Ju, CEO, LiangDao.