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by nateb2022·5mo ago·view on hn ↗
Low cost, sub $200 automotive grade LIDAR sensors are already available.

Cepton Technologies offers Nova [0], Nova-Ultra [1] sensors both at a sub-$100 price point [2]. These feature a 120°(H) x 90°(V) FOV at 50m, with 2.7M points per second sampling.

Velodyne introduced Velabit in 2021, for $100. Boasting 100m range and a 60-degree horizontal FoV x 10-degree vertical FoV.

The article claims that:

> What distinguishes current claims is the explicit focus on sub-$200 pricing tied to production volume rather than future prototypes or limited pilot runs.

which is simply not true. Cepton (currently offering) and Velodyne (acquired by Ouster in 2023) have done this for years.

  [0]: https://www.cepton.com/products/nova
  [1]: https://www.cepton.com/products/nova-ultra
  [2]: https://www.cepton.com/announcements/ceptons-nova-lidar-named-as-ces-2022-innovation-awards-honoree
  [3]: https://lidarmag.com/2020/01/07/velodyne-lidar-introduces-velabit/
2 comments
99% of LiDAR production is just 4 Chinese companies. Yes low-range systems are already at the $150-300 range, but MicroVision is promising to produce this in the Washington.

Basically they're saying "we can catch up to China by 2028/2029" ||so please subsidize us||

>Cepton Technologies offers Nova [0], Nova-Ultra [1] sensors both at a sub-$100 price point

Where? How? I'm only seeing the Nova on ebay for between $4000 and $5000.

Cepton primarily operates B2B, as B2C demand for specialized LIDAR like this is pretty low. Anything you find on eBay is either a leftover dev kit or salvage. This is pretty much the case for MicroVision, Ouster etc.