Faraday Future has selected Nio supplier Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR to power the FF 91's autonomous driving system.
(Image credit: Faraday Future)
California-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Faraday Future (NASDAQ: FFIE) will use the same LiDAR supplier as Nio (NYSE: NIO), in recognition of the capabilities of the component used by the Chinese premium EV brand.
Faraday Future has selected Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR to power the FF 91's autonomous driving system, according to a press release issued by the company on December 7.
The system is designed to integrate seamlessly into the FF 91 Futurist, providing additional real-time 3D vision for a safer, more reliable driving experience even in inclement weather conditions or the darkest of nights, the release stated.
Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR is designed to provide the FF 91 Futurist with unprecedented insight into the distant environment in front of the vehicle, the company said.
With Falcon's support, other vehicles in the FF 91's path can be detected up to 1,600 feet away, and can even detect pedestrians and small road debris up to 650 feet away, the release said.
Falcon's vision capabilities absorb an uninterrupted full field of view and high-resolution data collection, enabling superior visibility in complex road conditions and improving safety, according to the release.
Falcon can handle challenging weather and environmental conditions including rain, snow, darkness and more, and the forecaster delivers consistent, real-time accuracy, utilizing its 1,550-nm laser technology.
"Incorporating this advanced LiDAR technology into the FF 91 is very exciting and supports our efforts to deliver the uniquely positioned FF 91 to the market," said Hong Rao, vice president, I.A.I at Faraday Future.
Nio said at the launch of the ET7 flagship sedan at the Nio Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, that the car will feature LiDAR, which it was building with Innovusion.
Innovusion was founded in November 2016 and has R&D teams in Silicon Valley, Suzhou and Shanghai. Since its inception, it has accumulated three rounds of funding, with Nio Capital participating in each one.
On March 28 this year, Nio delivered the first batch of ET7 vehicles, meaning that Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR product achieved mass production.
To date, all three of Nio's NT 2.0 platform-based models -- ET7, ES7, and ET5 -- are equipped with this LiDAR.
On July 5, Innovusion announced that it saw the 10,000th unit of its high-performance automotive LiDAR Falcon roll off the production line.
Innovusion has a LiDAR production line in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, which is highly automated and enables high-volume production while still guaranteeing product consistency and reliability, it said in July.
On November 28, Innovusion said it saw its 50,000th ultra-long-range LiDAR roll off the line.
Previously Innovusion's products were apparently supplied primarily to Nio.
Innovusion works closely with Baidu Apollo, self-driving startup Mogo Auto, and self-driving truck company TuSimple, the company previously said, without disclosing whether it has begun supplying products to those companies.
Becoming a supplier to Faraday Future is the latest recognition Innovusion has received, despite several delays in the delivery of the EV maker's first model.
In a regulatory filing late last month, Faraday Future said the timing of the first delivery of the FF91 car is uncertain and not expected to be in 2022.
Faraday Future will need additional funding beyond 2022 to support the production of the FF91 to break even on cash flow, according to the announcement.
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