China’s Hesai Technology, a provider of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) solutions, has expanded its production agreement with a robotaxi firm based in the US.
The agreement, exceeding $40m, ensures product deliveries till the end of 2026.
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Hesai will supply both long-range and short-range LiDARs to the US firm, whose name was not disclosed.
The Chinese LiDAR maker noted that the robotaxi industry is currently undergoing a significant expansion phase, propelled by the progression of Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology.
LiDAR systems are indispensable in this domain, offering critical long- and short-range perception capabilities that are vital for the safe navigation of complex urban landscapes.
Hesai CEO and co-founder David Li said: “This expanded agreement demonstrates the confidence leading robotaxi companies place in Hesai’s technology, combining performance, high reliability, and scalable manufacturing.
“As the industry moves from pilots to scaled deployments, Hesai is proud to deliver lidar solutions that meet the highest standards of quality while enabling safe and reliable driverless mobility at scale.”
Market researcher Yole Group indicates that Hesai commands a 61% share of the global market for L4 autonomous driving LiDARs.
With a range of products that include long-range sensors for highway use and short-range LiDARs for urban safety and redundancy, Hesai is equipped to facilitate the widespread deployment of robotaxi fleets.
Earlier in the month, Hesai secured an order from Motional, an American autonomous driving firm backed by Hyundai Motor.
Hesai was appointed as the sole provider of short-range LiDARs for Motional’s all-electric Ioniq 5 robotaxi.
Additionally, last month, Hesai announced a partnership with Toyota for a new energy vehicle model, which will be produced by a Toyota joint venture in China. It will feature Hesai’s long-range automotive LiDAR ATX, with mass production expected to begin in 2026.
In March, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to incorporate Hesai’s LiDAR sensors into its smart driving vehicles for the global market.
