Volvo drops security tech it stated may scale back critical crashes by as much as 20 per cent
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Security stalwart Volvo has dropped LiDAR tech, which it beforehand declared delivered a lot improved car security, after cancelling a contract with tech companion Luminar Applied sciences.
LiDAR – which stands for ‘mild detection and ranging’ – is a laser-based system, with the Volvo EX90 electrical SUV launched in Australia in 2024 the primary of the automaker’s automobiles fitted with the tech.
The ES90 electrical liftback due on Australia showrooms early subsequent yr was additionally introduced with LiDAR tech, working at the side of 5 radars, seven cameras and twelve ultrasonic sensors.
Volvos utilizing LiDAR have a ‘bubble’ above the entrance windscreen the place the know-how was fitted – with the EX90 and ES90 set to lose their bubbles in 2026.
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“Volvo Vehicles has determined to take away the LiDAR sensor from its EX90 and ES90 automobiles and discontinue its relationship with provider Luminar, ” Volvo Vehicles USA stated in a press release.
Volvo Australia has confirmed to CarExpert present shares of LiDAR-equipped automobiles, together with round 30-40 ES90s, would be the final, with all ongoing manufacturing unit orders to not embrace the tech.
The transfer got here after Volvo made the tech, which was initially customary gear, optionally available as a substitute – prompting Luminar Applied sciences, which it owns a stake in, to file a lawsuit final month in opposition to the automaker in response.
“Volvo Vehicles has made this resolution to restrict the corporate’s provide chain threat publicity, and it’s a direct results of Luminar’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations to Volvo Vehicles,” stated Volvo Vehicles USA in its assertion.
The automaker stated the ‘failure’ by Luminar Applied sciences, with which it has been creating the tech since 2018, compelled it to cancel a five-year contract with the corporate.
In 2024, Silicon Valley-based Luminar Applied sciences’ greatest buyer was electrical automobile producer Tesla, regardless of Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, beforehand declaring the tech as “freaking silly”.
Luminar Applied sciences additionally has partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Daimler Truck AG and different tech firms together with NVIDIA and Intel Mobileye, claiming the tech will usher in a “new period of security”.
LiDAR was used for capabilities akin to adaptive cruise management, automated parking, and autonomous emergency braking, with Volvo having stated LiDAR would play a key position within the improvement of autonomous driving.
The benefits of LiDAR included a larger depth of subject than camera-based programs and the power to ‘see’ in numerous climate circumstances in addition to throughout each day and evening.
Volvo beforehand stated LiDAR would assist scale back the variety of ‘extreme’ crashes by 20 per cent, or one-fifth, with Luminar Applied sciences claiming the tech may save as many as 1 million lives yearly.
The Swedish model says the elimination of LiDAR received’t scale back the protection ranges of its automobiles however hasn’t detailed the affect of the choice on particular capabilities.
The EX90 achieved a five-star score from security authority Euro NCAP this month, with the identical score set to be utilized to Australian variations in a data-sharing association with ANCAP.
“The corporate’s merchandise can ship a excessive stage of security and driver assist, enabled by the automobiles’ highly effective core computing coupled with their superior sensor set, with or with no LiDAR,” a press release from Volvo stated.
In early November 2025, Volvo stated it will share extra {hardware} and software program throughout its fashions with Geely, as a way to scale back prices – in addition to including extra hybrid tech to its world lineup.
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