Self-driving tech firm Pony.ai, backed by Toyota Motor Corp., said on Monday its next-generation expertise for robotaxis will likely be utilizing lidars made by Luminar Applied sciences Inc.

Lidars are laser-based sensors which are a key element to many autonomous automobile applied sciences and assist them understand the atmosphere across the automobiles.

Pony.ai CEO James Peng stated the startup selected Luminar’s Iris lidar for its efficiency but additionally as a result of it may be built-in into the automobile higher than conventional lidars.

“It is really beginning to blur the road between what you see as a really effectively designed passenger automobile and the monstrosities which were on high of among the AV take a look at automobiles,” stated Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar.

Luminar’s Iris lidar is about 10 centimeters excessive and Peng stated 4 of them will likely be mounted on high of the automobile for 360 diploma views. He stated Pony.ai is aiming for automotive-grade manufacturing of autonomous fleets in 2023 globally.

Pony.ai has Robotaxi companies in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Irvine and Fremont in California with a fleet of about 200 autonomous automobiles. Late final yr, the startup raised $267 million at a valuation of $5.3 billion.

Along with Pony.ai, Luminar earlier this yr introduced a partnership with SAIC Motor Corp., China’s largest automaker and a take care of the self-driving software subsidiary of Volvo Cars, owned by China’s Geely Car Holdings.

Luminar, based in 2012, is considered one of a number of U.S. lidar producers previously yr to go public through reverse mergers with blank-check corporations.