Key Takeaways
- Tesla was Luminar’s top LiDAR customer in Q1, purchasing 2,100 units.
- Elon Musk has criticized LiDAR, preferring Tesla Vision for autonomous driving.
- Despite recent setbacks, Tesla is focusing on self-driving tech, possibly hinting at future LiDAR use.
Luminar Technologies recently unveiled in its most recent earnings report that Tesla was its largest LiDAR customer in Q1. The report claims the company’s business comprised 10% of Luminar’s revenue for the quarter, which came out at about $2.1 million. Per The Verge, the LiDAR units come out to about $1,000 each, meaning the company purchased about 2,100 units for an undisclosed reason.
Tesla
Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer largely attributed to driving the EV revolution. Through the Model S and subsequent products, Tesla has innovated and challenged industry conventions on numerous fronts, including over-the-air updates, self-driving technology, and automotive construction methods. Tesla is considered the world’s most valuable car brand as of 2023, and the Model Y the world’s best-selling car in the same year, but the brand’s greatest achievement is arguably the Supercharger network of EV charging stations.
- Founded
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July 1, 2003
- Founder
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Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning
- Headquarters
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Austin, Texas, USA
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
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Elon Musk
Tesla isn’t a fan of LiDAR. Elon has famously called LiDar a “crutch”, a “fool’s errand,” and has even gone so far as to say anyone relying on the system “is doomed”. While it’s necessary to take the things Musk says with a grain of salt, it does make the prospect of such a substantial purchase an interesting one.
LiDAR Vs. Tesla Vision
LiDAR stands for light detection and ranging and is by far the preferred technology when it comes to autonomous driving capabilities. It shoots out light that hits surrounding objects and returns to the sensor to create a 3D map of the surrounding environment. Vehicles from GM, Volvo, and Hyundai all rely on the software, but Elon has never been a fan, thus not a single Tesla going back to the Model S has ever used the system.
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Instead, Tesla originally used a system of sensors, cameras, and radar that was set to be expanded on. This system lasted until 2022, when the company announced it was ditching plans for radar development and scrapping the ultrasonic sensors, thereby moving to a camera-only system called Tesla Vision. This move immediately caused quite a stir in the industry, with designers and engineers believing a one-technology solution was truly doomed to failure. Tesla seemed content with its decision, which is what makes this new move so interesting.
Tesla’s Plans Unknown
Over the past few months, news surrounding the company has been a whirlwind of government probes, recalls, and layoffs. The company had a disastrous first quarter that saw it lose money for the first time since 2020, and thus, the company decided to cut 20% of its staff and halt plans for future vehicles.
It’s also seen the company take a great interest in its self-driving systems, with promises of a return of “Actually Smart Summon” and “Banish,” and lowering the price of a Full Self-Driving subscription. Elon said that “going balls to the wall for autonomy is a blindingly obvious move,” so perhaps the Luminar purchase is an extension of that.
Related
Elon Musk Again Promises Smart Summon And Banish Coming Soon
While the assumption has been the company could be benchmarking Tesla Vision against LiDAR, Elon posted on X that this isn’t the case. We’ll just have to see what Tesla has in store, but maybe the company is rethinking its once steadfast no-LiDAR approach, and we’ll see this technology in future Teslas like the Model 3.
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