The new electric Volvo ES90, which is slated for production this year, will be equipped with Luminar technology.

Over the past decade, Luminar, a global automotive technology company, says it has built an advanced hardware and software/artificial intelligence platform for use in passenger vehicles, including Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, as well as by NVIDIA and Mobileye.

The new ES90 is the second Volvo car model to feature Luminar’s technology, following the successful launch of its use in the OEM’s flagship SUV, the Volvo EX90, which is now being delivered to customers.

“The Iris lidar on ES90 will complement an advanced set of sensors and enable exceptional perception to help keep everyone safe inside and around the car,” said Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo Cars head of software engineering, in a press release. “The selection of the Iris lidar builds on our partnership with Luminar and our shared commitment to automotive safety.”

Lidar, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges with high precision and fidelity.

“Luminar’s lidar doesn’t rely on light like a camera, which makes it especially superior at night, where a disproportionate number of accidents may occur,” the release states. “It can detect pedestrians at up to 250-meter [820 feet], and something as small and dark as a tire on a black road 120 meters [393 feet] ahead, all while traveling at highway speeds.”

“We’re proud to be selected in conjunction with industry leaders like NVIDIA for a second global automotive launch as Volvo Cars expands its new lineup,” said Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar, in the release. “The Volvo ES90 will help scale our safety critical technology at a time when consumers, automakers, and regulators alike are demanding the most advanced sensing capabilities in their roadmaps — and this is just the beginning.”

The Volvo ES90 will use the latest SPA2 platform that underpins the Volvo EX90, with Luminar’s lidar seamlessly integrated into the roofline of the vehicle. Coupled with other advanced sensors such as radars, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors, the lidar on the Volvo ES90 will help further improve safety for everyone in and around the car, the release states.

Last year, Luminar released the results of tests conducted by Swiss Re on its lidar and software driving system.

The tests included:

• • Collision scenarios within a controlled testing environment;
  • Collecting vehicle response data and converting it into safety performance scores; and
  • Benchmarking the performance of the vehicle being tested against related and appropriately selected vehicles and driving systems in the market.

Swiss Re says it selected real-world scenarios calibrated to a controlled test track to see whether the emergency system activates and how quickly it’s triggered.

“Our results show that the Luminar system-equipped vehicle is expected to avoid up to 25% more collisions than the same vehicle without the Luminar equipment, and it is expected to enhance the mitigation power by up to 29%,” Swiss Re wrote. “Compared to the two best vehicles in Swiss Re’s benchmark, the difference in expected frequency is up to 27%, while in mitigation power it is up to 40%. This means that the Luminar-equipped vehicle is expected to avoid more collisions as well as decrease the impact of collisions when they happen.”

Images

Volvo ES90 photos provided by Volvo