Tesla bought over $2 million worth of lidar sensors from Luminar this year

Elon Musk doesn’t for illustration lidar, nan laser sensor that powers galore companies’ self-driving ambitions. He antecedently called it a “crutch” and said immoderate institution that relies connected lidar for its autonomous capabilities was “doomed.”

Well, apparently Tesla is stocking up connected crutches.

In its quarterly net study released today, Orlando-based lidar shaper Luminar disclosed that Tesla was its “largest LiDAR customer successful Q1,” comprising much than 10 percent of nan company’s gross for nan quarter. That translates to astir $2.1 cardinal worthy of lidar, based connected Luminar’s $21 cardinal successful gross for nan quarter.

In fact, Tesla bought truthful overmuch lidar from Luminar, it helped offset a quarter-over-quarter drop successful revenue, driven by a little measurement of sensors to non-automotive companies. Tesla to nan rescue. (Not totally: Luminar said past week that it was laying disconnected astir 20 percent of its workforce. Tesla besides is laying disconnected employees.)

It’s a singular reversal for Tesla, which has famously winnowed down complete nan years nan number of sensors it uses to powerfulness its precocious driver-assist features for illustration Autopilot and Full Self-Driving — features that Musk has perpetually sold arsenic a precursor to a afloat autonomous conveyance fleet. Later this year, Tesla is expected to uncover a robotaxi prototype connected which Musk is betting nan early of his company.

Musk’s lidar allergy was moreover connected show during Tesla’s ain quarterly net call, successful which he boasted astir really his vehicles only trust connected camera-based imagination systems to powerfulness their driver-assist features.

“It is evident that our solution pinch a comparatively low-cost conclusion machine and modular cameras tin execute self-driving,” Musk said. “No lidars, nary radars, ultrasonic. Nothing.”

What Tesla is doing pinch $2.1 cardinal worthy of Luminar lidar is anyone’s guess. Luminar spokesperson Milin Mehta declined to comment, and Tesla hasn’t responded officially to immoderate reporters’ queries since 2019.

When I asked Luminar laminitis and CEO Austin Russell in 2021 specifically astir nan Tesla deal, he declined to comment, citing “customer confidentiality.” He did statement that Luminar sells its older Hydra lidar units to immoderate customers doing “testing, development... information collection, [and] benchmarking.”

Even if Tesla is utilizing Luminar’s lidar to validate its Full Self-Driving characteristic successful mentation for a robotaxi launch, that’s still a lot of lidar. According to Luminar, individual lidar sensors costs astir $1,000, including software. Did Tesla bargain 2,100 lidars for its vehicles? Maybe! The institution is softly operating an autonomous testing fleet successful a number of cities, including San Francisco and Las Vegas. Is it going to retrofit those company-owned vehicles pinch Luminar’s lidar? If it does, group will announcement — conscionable for illustration they noticed nan 1 Model Y successful Florida respective years ago. We’ll cognize soon capable whether those vehicles are group to deed nan road.

What does look clear is that Tesla is changing its tune connected lidar, moreover if publically Musk is still anti-lidar. Eventually, nan CEO himself whitethorn beryllium forced to swallow his pridefulness and admit that lasers are so nan sauce.