Daimler Truck has selected Aeva as the supplier of long and ultra-long-range Lidar for its autonomous commercial vehicle program and will integrate the sensors into its production process.

Aeva will supply its latest Atlas 4D Lidar technology to Daimler Truck and collaborate with Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, to enable SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle capabilities beginning with the Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck platform.

“Selecting the right Lidar technology is a crucial strategic decision to safely deploy autonomous trucks on the road. Together with Torc, we are well on track to offer autonomous trucks to the U.S. market by 2027,” said Joanna Buttler, head of global autonomous technology group at Daimler Truck.

Torc Robotics will sell its virtual driver technology and Mission Control services as a subscription to customers. Its driving software will use Aeva’s perception software, built around Aeva’s instant velocity data, to detect objects faster, further away, and with higher accuracy.

The multi-year collaboration begins in the first quarter of 2024. with Aeva’s start of production by 2026 and Daimler Truck production ramping up by 2027.

4D Lidar

Daimler Trucks said Aeva’s unique Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D Lidar technology uses a low-power continuous laser beam to simultaneously measure range and velocity for every point. This enables automated vehicles to unlock new levels of safety and vehicle automation, according to the truck maker, by instantaneously discriminating between static and dynamic points and knowing the precise velocity of dynamic objects.

“Aeva is pioneering the commercialization of FMCW Lidar technology, a key differentiator for long range detection and object identification. This means 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, which are crucial to safely deploy autonomous trucks at scale,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO at Torc Robotics.

Multiple Sensors

Daimler Truck and Torc’s trucks are equipped with sensor sets from a combination of three technologies:

• Lidar

• Radar

• Cameras

The truck manufacturer said this enables safe handling adapted to the respective situation on highways, surface roads, and ramps as well as when turning at controlled intersections.