LiDAR anyone?

[BlueDvlTxn]

Hi all! First post here - I've enjoyed reading through this massive forum, and can't wait for my Mach E to show up!

Does anyone know if the Mach E will have LiDAR sensors? It seems like it should, given Ford has talked of the need to have LiDAR for higher levels of autonomy and not use the approach Tesla did with cameras and radar alone. (Or maybe I'm overly optimistic that future OTA updates will be more than just fine tuning / bug fixing - beyond the already announced hands free driving).

I've read some comments on here that no, it will not. However, a SlashGear article back from the November release states " The number of sensors Ford is building into the Mustang Mach-E is shaping up to be considerable. Right now it’s not confirming just how many there’ll be, but it did tell SlashGear that there’d be cameras, LIDAR, ultrasonic, and radar in the mix. "

There's a Ford patent to hide them in the mirrors (a slick trick). Also, Velodyne just released a new low cost LiDAR sensor ~$100 each - that's the LiDAR company Ford has been in partnership with for their autonomy development. Looking back at the Fusion Hybrid test vehicles with the hockey puck LiDAR on the A pillar, it all seems feasible....but the question remains...…..did Ford add them to future proof autonomy on all Mach E's?

I also enjoyed this article from Techcruch where they say " By using Lidar, Ford recently showed that its autonomous vehicles can drive in complete darkness without human intervention. In the process, they remind us that the self-driving car is about a lot more than as-good-as-humans: It’s about harnessing tech to make cars far safer and smarter than human drivers." Mind you, this was from 2016!

Sponsored

 

[Thevanin]

I don't think the car will have lidar. If you read the press release for Co-Pilot 360 2.0 they mention having cameras and radar. I think previous mentions of lidar were with respect to the cars they use to map highways.

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...ot360-technology-adds-hands-free-driving.html

 

[macchiaz-o]

Welcome to the forum! I'm struggling with the long wait, too.

There are a lot of driver assist sensors. Some of the more visible things include several outward-facing cameras, one or two driver-facing IR cameras, radars, and ultrasonic sensors. There are likely many other sensors behind the scenes but equally important, such as accelerometers, pedal sensors, and a GPS receiver.

The 2021 Mustang Mach-E won't be updated beyond "level 2++" automation.

Ford uses lidar in its some of its R&D mobility efforts, for HD road mapping, and through its stake in Argo AI. There's no lidar in any of its private sale vehicles so far, and no announced plans for that.

Lucid announced it will have lidar on the not-yet-released Air. I'm not aware of any other private vehicle that has, or is about to be released with, lidar. Maybe a Mercedes? I can't find it now.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

There's a Ford patent to hide them in the mirrors (a slick trick). Also, Velodyne just released a new low cost LiDAR sensor ~$100 each - that's the LiDAR company Ford has been in partnership with for their autonomy development. Looking back at the Fusion Hybrid test vehicles with the hockey puck LiDAR on the A pillar, it all seems feasible....but the question remains...…..did Ford add them to future proof autonomy on all Mach E's?

Lucid announced it will have lidar on the not-yet-released Air. I'm not aware of any other private vehicle that has, or is about to be released with, lidar. Maybe a Mercedes? I can't find it now.

I think - uneducated opinion coming - that you're seeing two things happen here. One, LIDAR is just now getting to where putting it into a "normal" car from a cost/size/complexity viewpoint is even really on the table, and two, it simply wasn't possible when Mach-E planning started.

If you're Tesla, you just say "eh, we don't need that" and hope you're proven right.

It would not surprise me at all to see the next generation of Ford BEVs (e.g. 2nd generation Mach-E, 2nd generation F-series) ship with LIDAR.

 

[makooy]

According to the Ford NL employees at the Ford Go EV Event the Mach-E the Mach-E has Lidar to recognize object and signs. Lidar sensor should be behind the front glass/behind the read-view mirror.

 

[hybrid2bev]

According to the Ford NL employees at the Ford Go EV Event the Mach-E the Mach-E has Lidar to recognize object and signs. Lidar sensor should be behind the front glass/behind the read-view mirror.

I'm skeptical of that. A camera or multiple cameras, yes absolutely. Lidar I don't think so.

 

[makooy]

I'm skeptical of that. A camera or multiple cameras, yes absolutely. Lidar I don't think so.

Dont shoot the messenger That's what i've been told on the Event.

 

[macchiaz-o]

According to the Ford NL employees at the Ford Go EV Event the Mach-E the Mach-E has Lidar to recognize object and signs. Lidar sensor should be behind the front glass/behind the read-view mirror.

A lidar system could see the outline of a street sign but not the symbols or text. To read the content of the sign, an optical camera is required.

Sponsored