We’ve Been Busy Making AVs Safe for Consumers
Innoviz made its return to the CES floor with not one, but three products to show consumers! It was an incredible way to kickstart the New Year and demonstrate what we accomplished during some globally challenging times.
The Grizzly at CES: Featuring InnovizOne
First up, we drove attendees around in our Grizzly demo vehicle outfitted with InnovizOne. BMW selected our InnovizOne technology for its consumer program, and it’s now in such high demand that there’s a waitlist. It’s important for us to showcase that our LiDAR technology is “the real deal,” meaning it’s available now and sees what humans and other technologies might miss in a variety of on-road scenarios.
The team brought the Grizzly to New York twice last year. The demo vehicle is typically kept at our San Jose office for media and local government representatives to ride. Innoviz was excited to bring the Grizzly to Las Vegas, as the strip is a perfect backdrop! A LiDAR point cloud is worth a thousand words. When people see our product first-hand, they get the “WOW factor.”
Introducing InnovizTwo: The Next Generation LiDAR Solution
For the first time at CES, Innoviz presented InnovizTwo, our next-gen LiDAR solution for autonomous vehicles. Our talented engineers put in lots of hard work, despite remote work mandates due to COVID-19, to deliver breakthrough performance for our automotive-grade LiDAR solution for Level 2+ to Level 4 automated driving, the InnovizTwo.
Introducing Innoviz360: Greater Coverage for Less Cost
Our innovation didn’t stop with the InnovizTwo. We also debuted Innoviz360 for the first time, marking our first foray into 360° LiDAR. Innoviz360 features 360° x 64° degree coverage, up to 1280 scanning lines and a 300m range, at a lower price point than other spinning LiDARs on the market. Consumers are likely most familiar with 360° LiDAR designs, which can be seen today mounted on top of robotaxis, demo cars, and shuttles.
These designs played an important role in advancing automated driving development and bringing LiDAR into the mainstream. However, they’re complex, bulky systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars and are un-suited to meet durability requirements for automotive-grade production. We were excited to demonstrate our modern take on the spinning LiDAR design with Innoviz360, solving the size, price, and durability challenges of the legacy designs.
Reflections from the “LiDAR Pit”
From Innoviz’s position at CES, there were a lot of LiDAR developments for the audience to explore; it was more important than ever to set ourselves apart.
In addition to the latest product announcements, during the show, Innoviz announced a collaboration with Twinner, a German-based digital twin generator for the automotive industry. This use case showed the value of LiDAR and its ability to provide a 360° view, which can better assess, inspect, and evaluate a vehicle’s condition digitally. Twinner has partnered with several large auto manufacturers, sellers, and logistics companies across Europe and China,. Online car sales are becoming popular amongst consumers, so this was a great way to enter into that conversation.
We were also lucky to have a cohort of MIT students stop by our booth. They included familiar faces from the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Israel Lab. These impressive students spent the fall semester learning about Innoviz to offer actionable insights on go-to-market strategies, competitive analysis, customer acquisition, pricing, and more. If it weren’t for the pandemic, we would have welcomed these fine minds to our HQ in Tel Aviv, but we’re glad they were able to join us in Las Vegas.
What’s on the Road Ahead for LiDAR Systems?
Many LiDAR companies have an Achilles heel. Their sensor stacks are limited in their ability to deliver the real-world specifications necessary for true Level 2+ driving. Our ability to develop and produce automotive-grade LiDAR in-house allows us with direct access to automakers and gives Innoviz a competitive edge. We’re proud of our work. It’s secured us a spot among the top five leaders in the market, and our sights are set on the top position. InnovizTwo samples are in the hands of the automotive community. It’s only a matter of time before it takes the market by storm. We’re already seeing RFQs change to match the performance levels we’re setting for the industry.
I’m optimistic about developing a pathway to regulation. As a member of the LiDAR Sensor Standards Consortium, Innoviz looks forward to playing a leading role in creating standards and regulations that guarantee safety for all road users.