FEV Improves ADAS and AD Systems with Ibeo LiDAR Solutions and Chinese Testing Partner LiangDao
Aachen, Germany, May 2021 – FEV, a globally leading engineering provider to the automotive industry, Beijing LiangDao Intelligent Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., and Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH have announced their cooperation to bundle competencies, providing OEM customers worldwide with access to a full range of solutions for Level 3 and 4 automated driving (AD) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
Automated driving is one of the hottest topics in the automotive industry. At the same time, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is one of the hottest topics in automated driving. The technology is used for optical measurement of distance and speed as well as for precise position detection of stationary and moving objects.
Although critical to the future of intelligent mobility, the commercialization of LiDAR for automotive use offers insurmountable challenges to many developers that result in fragmentation throughout the industry. The market-ready LiDAR technology of Ibeo enables the potential to be widely used for state-of-the-art ADAS and AD functions.
In addition to CO2 neutrality, ADAS and AD systems are of the highest importance when defining future mobility. These technologies will significantly improve safety, comfort, and efficiency.
LiDAR technology boosts performance and perception
As an engineering partner to international automakers and suppliers, FEV has established extraordinary expertise in the field of ADAS and automated driving solutions over the past years. Main challenges are defined by a wide range of boundary conditions like weather, light, or traffic situations to be handled.
“The application of LiDAR technology is capable of improving the performance and reliability of perception significantly,” said Dr. Thomas Hülshorst, Vice President of Intelligent Mobility & Software at FEV. “Ibeo is a pioneer in automotive LiDAR applications – the integration of the company’s technology is highly beneficial. We combine FEV’s system expertise with Ibeo’s premium LiDAR technology and solutions. LiangDao complements our partnership with LiDAR testing and data management solutions. Through our competitive approach, we will decisively drive the progress and implementation of automated driving.”
Ibeo with technology leadership in LiDAR sensors
Hamburg, Germany, based company Ibeo is a technology leader in LiDAR sensors and has been developing these with matching software solutions for ADAS- and AD-type functions for more than 20 years. Also, the company has successfully introduced LiDAR technology to vehicle series production. FEV’s tasks in the collaboration include using Ibeo’s LiDAR solutions for the development of full range ADAS and AD systems as well as driving their commercialization forward. The two companies have already cooperated successfully on various ADAS and AD projects in the past.
“Perception systems, especially LiDAR systems, play a crucial role in automated driving,” said Dr. Ulrich Lages, CEO of Ibeo. “We are very pleased with the confidence our partners have in our products and we are sure that we can help accelerate the development of ADAS and automated driving solutions by using our technology.”
LiangDao brings huge expertise to the cooperation
LiangDao enters the alliance as an expert in testing and validation of LiDAR systems, offering data acquisition solutions and ground truth tools for vehicle fleet testing. The Beijing-headquartered company also brings its huge expertise regarding the Chinese market to the cooperation, which is one of the key regions for automated driving technology.
”The implementation of automated driving is only possible in cooperation with industry partners. For this reason, we look forward to working with Ibeo and FEV with great confidence,” said Dr. Xueming Ju, CEO of LiangDao. ”By combining our expertise, we will be able to offer safe and reliable automated driving systems to customers around the globe.”
About Ibeo
Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH has established itself as a global technology leader for LiDAR sensors (English acronym for Light Detection And Ranging) and the associated products and software tools. This technology is used as an assistance system in cars and in the field of autonomous driving. It is Ibeo’s goal to reinvent mobility by enabling cars to become cooperative partners in the driving process, making transportation safer. Ibeo employs a total of over 400 people at its Hamburg, Eindhoven (Netherlands), and Detroit (USA) sites. ZF Automotive Germany GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZF, is a major shareholder of Ibeo.
For further information, visit www.ibeo-as.com
About LiangDao
LiangDao Intelligence is a testing and validation service provider for series testing of autonomous vehicles, with core competencies in LIDAR systems and multi-sensor fusion applications. LiangDao Intelligence is a Sino-German technology company headquartered in Beijing with a data center and an engineering workshop, an R&D center in Berlin, and business offices in Munich and Shanghai.
For more information, visit www.liangdao.ai
About FEV
FEV is a leading independent international service provider of vehicle and powertrain development for hardware and software. The range of competencies includes the development and testing of innovative solutions up to series production and all related consulting services. The range of services for vehicle development includes the design of body and chassis, including the fine-tuning of overall vehicle attributes such as driving behavior and NVH. FEV also develops innovative lighting systems and solutions for autonomous driving and connectivity.
The electrification activities of powertrains cover powerful battery systems, e-machines, and inverters. Additionally, FEV develops highly efficient gasoline and diesel engines, transmissions, EDUs as well as fuel cell systems and facilitates their integration into vehicles suitable for homologation. Alternative fuels are a further area of development.
The service portfolio is completed by tailor-made test benches and measurement technology, as well as software solutions that allow efficient transfer of the essential development steps of the above-mentioned developments, from the road to the test bench or simulation.
The FEV Group currently employs 6300 highly qualified specialists in customer-oriented development centers at more than 40 locations on five continents.Files