Aeva Technologies said during CES that they have agreed a USD $1bn deal with Germany’s Daimler Truck to supply sensors for self-driving trucks expected to roll on U.S. roads in 2027.
Aeva make lidar sensors which can detect how fast distant objects are moving, which is useful for avoiding other vehicles and pedestrians. They said some revenue from the deal will start to appear this year and that they plan to start production for the deal in 2026.
Under the production collaboration, Aeva will supply their latest Atlas automotive-grade FMCW 4D lidar technology to Daimler Truck and collaborate with Torc Robotics—an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck—to enable L4 autonomous vehicle capabilities beginning with the Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck platform. Daimler intend to integrate the lidar sensors directly in their production process, making it easy for customers to buy autonomous-ready trucks directly from the maker without the need for sensors to be retrofitted. Torc will sell their virtual driver technology and supporting services as a subscription to customers. Torc’s driving software will use Aeva’s perception software, built around Aeva’s instant velocity data, to detect objects faster, farther away, and with higher accuracy. The multi-year collaboration begins in the first quarter of 2024 with Aeva’s start of production by 2026 and Daimler Truck’s production ramping up by 2027.
