Extracts from Yole Developpement report on lidar
“In the past two years, more than USD $800m have been invested in lidar companies”, says Alexis Debray, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole Developpement (photo).”Therefore, there is clearly a strong excitement around these technologies.”
But is it a dream? Or could we think about a real market potential?
Some companies, despite being created only a few years ago, have received millions in investments. For example, Blackmore, founded in 2016, recently received $18m from BMW and Toyota. And Quanergy, launched in 2012, received $180m in 2017. Such investments testify to lidar technologies’ immaturity.
Startups, industrial participants, tier 1s, and automakers are all investing in different approaches with no guarantee of success, but this is the price they must pay for a chance to be part of the market for automotive-grade lidar technologies.