Automotive equipment giant Bosch recently announced a major decision that will shake up the self-driving car industry. The German company decided abandon the development of LiDAR sensorsan important technology for autonomous driving due to its technological complexity and time to market.

Bosch, which has been developing LiDAR for three years, said it will now shift its resources and engineering capabilities to other sensor technologies, including radar. This decision was made after a careful evaluation of the costs and benefits of LiDAR technology, which proved expensive to develop and integrate into vehicles.

Technology too expensive to develop

LiDAR sensors are known for their superior performance compared to cameras and radars. They use lasers to map and monitor the vehicle’s surroundings, enabling accurate detection of objects, obstacles and distance estimation.

However, despite their advantages in terms of accuracy, these sensors still face problems related to their high cost and limited demandgiven that it will likely take longer than expected for fully autonomous driving to become a reality.

LiDAR is already at the end of the race for autonomous driving

This decision by Bosch is not unique to the German automotive industry. ZF, another big player, has already completed its LiDAR sensor development plans, leaving Continental ahead in the race among the German giants. This trend highlights the challenges facing companies autonomous driving is technically possible and economically viable.

This is not the first time Bosch’s automotive division has faced setbacks. In 2018, the company exited power cell production, paving the way for Chinese giant CATL, which recently opened its first European megafactory in Germany in early 2023.

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