Ouster has been selected as the exclusive provider of long-range lidar sensors for Motional’s Hyundai Ioniq 5-based electric robotaxis. The serial production agreement will see Ouster supply Motional with Alpha Prime™ VLS-128 sensors through 2026.
The Alpha Prime delivers the long-range, high-performance capabilities we need for our autonomous vehicle,” said Laura Major, Chief Technology Officer at Motional. “Long-range lidar is an important part of Motional’s multi-modal sensor strategy, which includes over 30 sensors carefully integrated into the Ioniq 5 robotaxi design. This sensor suite provides 360-degree vision and enables safe, fully-driverless operation across diverse driving environments and conditions”.
Founded in 2020 as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional deploys their L4 AVs for ride-hail and on-demand delivery applications. Motional has operated a public robotaxi service in Las Vegas for over five years now. They’ve already begun implementing Ouster Alpha Prime sensors on their robotaxis in commercial operation in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and they’re testing operations in Boston; Pittsburgh, and Singapore.
Ouster CEO and cofounder Angus Pacala says “Motional is a leading AV company with large-scale deployments and strong commercial partnerships. We’re excited to be the exclusive long-range lidar on Motional’s Ioniq 5 robotaxis being deployed globally. The Alpha Prime is a powerful addition to our product portfolio, and one that we expect will continue to drive meaningful new business, particularly for autonomous vehicles”.
DVN comment
Good news for Ouster, who are known to equip robotaxis from the early stage, but are now facing growing competition from Chinese companies like Hesai.
