Velodyne’s Solid-State Velarray LiDAR Delivers on Specs, But 2X Too Pricey

In April (2017), Velodyne LiDAR announced its long-awaited, fixed-laser, solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, euphoniously named Velarray. The primary target market for the Velarray is for self-driving cars and advanced driver assistance safety (ADAS) systems. Sample units of the Velarray will be available at the end of 2017, with commercial production beginning in 2018, according to Velodyne representatives. 

Velodyne is both the mindshare and market share leading in the automotive LiDAR space, having pioneered the world’s first real-time, 360°, 3D LiDAR sensors in 2005. Since that time, Velodyne’s LiDARs became a de facto standard technology for self-driving cars. For example, the large, roof-mounted, 360° Velodyne HDL-64E LiDAR systems are often seen on self-driving test vehicles such as the Google car. The HDL-64E, can collect up to 2.2 million data points every second, and locate with centimeter accuracy objects up to 120 meters away. This level of performance comes at a price; the HDL-64E retails for US$70,000.

Velodyne’s HDL-32E detectors are also used on research vehicles, as is Velodyne’s most recent commercially released LiDAR, the VLP-16 “Puck” (priced US$30,000 and US$9,000, respectively). In the case of the HDL-32E and VLP-16, multiple LiDARs are typically required for suitable vehicle coverage.

While Velodyne’s HDL-64E performs extremely well, providing 360° high resolution scans at long range, it is too expensive for the general consumer automobile market. The system operates by mechanically spinning a laser/receiver unit, while oscillating it up and down. This movement raises questions regarding the reliability and robustness of the HDL-64E for workaday vehicles, continually operating in all manner of weather conditions. The same pricing and dependability challenges hold for Velodyne’s HDL-64E and Puck.

The solid-state Velarray—developed at Velodyne Labs, the company’s advanced research and development group—has no moving parts. The devices measure only 5 in x 2 in x 2 in (125 mm x 50 mm x 55 mm), making it suitably small enough to meet esthetic requirements for consumer automobiles. Each Velarray system has a 120° field of view, but multiple systems can be positioned strategically around the corners of an automobile to provide an overlapping, 360° scan. The Velarray can also scan up to 35° vertically, a useful feature when driving on inclines. Velodyne states that the Velarray has a 200-meter range, even for low-reflectivity objects.

Compared to mechanical systems, solid-state LiDARs like the Velarray can be manufactured much more inexpensively. According to Velodyne officials, the Velarray “has a target price in the hundreds of dollars when produced in mass volumes.” In August 2016, Velodyne received a US$150 million investment infusion from Baidu, Ford, and other investors to do just that. The company announced in January 2017 that it closed on a 200,000-square foot building in San Jose, CA. The new ‘megafactory’ is expected to produce 1 million LiDAR units per year.

Error-free, real-time mapping, navigation, object detection and recognition, distance measurement, and other functions for ADAS and autonomous driving requires the use of multiple, complementary sensing technologies, including LiDAR. However, LiDAR solutions that are expensive and unsuited to the rigors of real-world, continuous driving, regardless of their performance attributes, are a nonstarter for many classes of consumer and commercial vehicles. Hence the red-hot market for robust, inexpensive, high performance, solid-state LiDARs. 2016 investment for LiDAR companies alone approximated US$250 million:

• Quanergy Systems ($90 million, Series B, on a US$1.6 billion valuation)
• Velodyne LiDAR ($150 million)
• Innoviz Technologies ($9 million, Series A)

Given the opportunity represented by autonomous vehicles, it comes as no surprise that 2016 investments for companies developing solid-state LiDAR solutions were sizable. ABI Research forecasts more than 69 million automotive LiDAR sensors will ship in 2027 fueled by declining hardware costs and the need to equip vehicles with multiple sensors to ensure 360° coverage (see Figure 1).

While both Velodyne, and its most serious competitor, Quanergy Systems, are flush with investment and working with key industry partners, the opportunity for additional automotive LiDAR suppliers remain, as does the opportunity for investment into LiDAR suppliers. Both smaller startups and established firms are currently developing innovative sensing solutions. Innoviz Technologies and Phantom Intelligence, Aerostar, Strobe, TriLumina and Ibeo Automotive Systems exemplify the former, while Pioneer, Sensata, LeddarTech, and Innoluce (Royal Philips spinoff acquired by Infineon) exemplify the latter. Equally important, research continues into novel LiDAR solutions specifically designed for mass commercial deployment in various markets.

The large number of companies developing solid-state LiDAR technologies, both hungry startups and established firms capable of volume production, guarantee further LiDAR innovation, along with lower target prices, even as performance attributes improves. University level research is also continuing apace, with new breakthroughs promising solid-state LiDAR technologies that are very low cost.

Velodyne officials formally stated that volume production of the Velarray would result in systems available for “hundreds of dollars”, although to be fair, other Velodyne sources cite somewhat lower figures. Still, Velodyne’s competitors are promising competitive systems for half that amount or less, and researchers are predicting advanced systems for even less.

While Velodyne’s Velarray delivers on specs, and with the new funding and partner resources the company is quite capable of volume production, the resultant systems could be twice as costly as functionally competitive products. This could put Velodyne at a competitive disadvantageas a sensor supplier for ADAS and autonomous driving, as well as other product classes exploiting solid-state LiDAR for sensing (i.e., robotics). Fortunately, the company is flush with investment from sizable partners, and has first mover advantage. Perhaps more importantly, Velodyne is a well-known and respected supplier of advanced LiDAR solutions. Its LiDAR ‘brand’ is very solid.