Polestar 4 promises level 3 autonomous driving on highways thanks to new LiDAR tech

The Polestar 4 doesn’t just look like a car from the future. Its latest announcement proves that it will drive like one too. While we already knew that the electric car would feature the Mobileye Chauffeur system with front-facing radar, it has now been confirmed that the system will also integrate Luminar’s LiDAR technology as well.

LiDAR – or Light Detection and Ranging – is used in a number of autonomous vehicle systems to provide live 3D mapping of the environment, without the need for preinstalled maps. The Luminar system promises a higher laser wavelength, allowing for more detailed mapping to occur. Combined with the other sensors in the Mobileye Chauffeur system this will allow for true hands-off and eyes-off motorway driving.

“Combining our base SuperVision with an independent second redundant perception system – consisting of Luminar LiDAR, radars and an imaging radar – enables true redundancy and a level of accuracy that lays the foundation for fully autonomous driving,” says Prof. Amnon Shashua, CEO of Mobileye.

The system will also allow for hands-free city driving but this will still require the driver to keep their eyes on the road. It’s not clear what the maximum speed of the full level 3 driving will be at this time and it is likely to be more down to the local driving legislation. Mercedes-Benz and BMW both offer eyes-off level 3 capabilities that are slowly being introduced in Europe and the US.

The eyes-on city driving is likely an element of caution too, as if the system can handle motorway speeds, it is more likely to be able to cope with the intricacies of city driving – if not the unpredictability. I suspect this system will also develop and learn over time to expand its capabilities.

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