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Delphi Buys Stake In Innoviz, Another Tech Partner For Self-Driving Cars

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Delphi

Delphi Automotive said Friday it has taken a minority stake in Israel's Innoviz Technologies, a two-year-old developer of advanced laser-based sensors for self-driving cars. Terms were not disclosed.

It's the second company that specializes in light detection and ranging sensors (LiDAR) in which Delphi has made a strategic investment. In 2015, Delphi bought a stake in Quanergy Systems as part of a $90 million funding round.

"Our strategy is to make sure we are working with several companies to make sure we have access to all the technologies that might be needed for self-driving cars," said Glen De Vos, Delphi's senior vice president and chief technology officer.

Delphi has made a series of acquisitions and investments in self-driving car startups over the past couple of years, and is part of an automated driving partnership with Intel, Mobileye, BMW and most recently, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

While both Innoviz and Quanergy are developing cheaper solid-state LiDAR systems to replace the expensive spinning lasers now planted on the roofs of autonomous vehicle prototypes, their technologies are different.

Innoviz's LiDAR technology allows self-driving cars to identify objects far ahead, allowing them to travel at high speeds safely, Delphi said. Quanergy's LiDAR, mounted on the corners of a vehicle, is ideal for identifying objects around the car. De Vos said cars will need multiple sensors, including radar and cameras, for different scenarios.

This graphic explains three kinds of solid-state LiDAR.

Delphi

“Along with radar and vision technology, LiDAR is an essential component to Delphi’s automated driving perception suite,” De Vos said.

"Delphi shares our vision for making vehicles smarter and safer," said Omer Keilaf, co-founder and CEO of Innoviz. "By challenging the conventions of LiDAR design, we were able to develop a LiDAR solution that delivers superior performance at a reasonable price and in a much smaller footprint – three factors that are required to help autonomous driving achieve mass commercialization."

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