Lidar supplier Hesai Technology, based in the USA, and Chinese company WeRide, which is developing L4 autonomous driving technology, have announced a strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, the two parties will promote the autonomous vehicle application of automotive grade, hybrid solid-state lidar, working toward at scale deployment and commercial application of WeRide’s autonomous driving technology.
Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide, said, “Since the two parties reached strategic cooperation, Hesai has been one of our most trusted partners. WeRide’s autonomous driving vehicle fleets have reached 15 cities globally to commence road testing and operation, covering smart mobility, smart logistics and smart environmental services. We firmly believe in the safe, reliable and commercially viable implementation of autonomous driving technology, while Hesai’s automotive grade, hybrid solid-state lidar represents a new trend in the development of AD sensing components. I believe this collaboration will further enhance the capability of our autonomous vehicles.”
In 2019, Hesai’s Pandar series lidars were integrated onto WeRide’s first batch of Robotaxis, and successfully entered road testing and operation stage. Hesai’s lidar products have also supported WeRide to commercialize China’s first public Robotaxi service in Huangpu District, Guangzhou.
Li Yifan, CEO of Hesai, said, “WeRide is an innovative global pioneer with leading autonomous driving technology and a comprehensive commercialization layout. We are glad to work with WeRide to accelerate their commercial application of autonomous driving technology through Hesai’s newest hybrid solid-state lidar product AT128.”