Hamburg-based lidar sensor developer Ibeo Automotive Systems says it has commenced validation testing of its solid-state ibeoNEXT sensors for China’s largest SUV manufacturer, Great Wall Motor (GWM). The company aims to reach series production for automated driving functions at L3 and potentially L4, and to define standards that should make fully autonomous driving possible in the near future.
Ibeo commissioned German-Chinese testing and validation provider LiangDao for series testing on test tracks in Germany (Berlin) and China (Beijing). Ibeo itself has already been testing automated and networked driving on public roads since 2017, and is also working with TÜV Süd to improve the safety of components and systems used in autonomous vehicles. Ibeo states it has reached an important milestone in preparing for mass production of its sensor, and has commissioned ZF Friedrichshafen AG to produce the sensors and the control unit.
“A proof of concept in the respective markets – in this case, China – is important so that we can complete data compliance with the support of our Chinese partner, obtain abstracted driving behavior data and optimize test validation tools that are being used for processing according to the Chinese guidelines,” explained Dr Dietmar Fiehn, project manager of Silk Road at Ibeo. “The POC is an important milestone on the way to series production of the ibeoNEXT. We have also established a long and close partnership with LiangDao, which means we are very familiar with the Chinese market and its requirements.”
