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| Israeli startup making its Wall Street debut |
In the world of automotive sensors, 4D radar is one of the more promising technologies. Its latest feat: finding its way onto Wall Street.
Israel’s Arbe Robotics, a provider of 4D radar, is slated to begin trading on Nasdaq on Friday. The debut comes after shareholders of Industrial Tech Acquisitions Inc., a special purpose acquisition company, on Tuesday approved Arbe’s merger with the SPAC.
“Becoming a publicly traded company extends our first-mover advantage and market-leading position as we continue to spearhead a radar revolution,” CEO Kobi Marenko said in a news release.
4D radar systems allow for more precise detection, useful for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems. In addition to perceiving an object’s range, velocity and azimuth — or horizontal angle — 4D radar systems perceive elevation.
Arbe says its ultrahigh-resolution sensor “delivers high-level performance in all environmental, weather and lighting conditions, providing an unmatched level of safety to the market.” Last week the Arbe system was named a 2021 Automotive News PACEpilot Innovation to Watch.
A 4D imaging radar system from another Israeli company, Vayyar Imaging, also is a 2021 PACEpilot honoree.
– Leslie J. Allen
What you need to know
GM to offer hands-free city driving in 2023 with Ultra Cruise General Motors plans to introduce an advanced driver-assistance technology called Ultra Cruise, allowing hands-free driving on city streets as well as highways, in 2023. Super Cruise, the hands-free highway driving system it currently offers, will coexist with Ultra Cruise. Super Cruise will be available on more mainstream vehicles, while Ultra Cruise’s broader coverage will be available on premium nameplates, GM said Wednesday. The Ultra Cruise announcement was part of a day of presentations to investors.
Apple plans to use iPhone to control autos’ A/C, seats and radio, report says Apple Inc., whose CarPlay interface is used by millions of motorists to control music, get directions and make phone calls, is looking to expand its reach within cars, Bloomberg reports. The company is working on technology that would access functions such as the climate-control system, speedometer, radio and seats, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The initiative, known as “IronHeart” internally, is still in its early stages and would require the cooperation of automakers. The work underscores the idea that cars could be a major moneymaker for the tech giant — even without selling a vehicle itself.
Ouster agrees to acquire Sense Photonics in digital-lidar tie-up As recently as August, Ouster Inc. CEO Angus Pacala predicted a wave of consolidation throughout the lidar business. Now, Ouster is leading that charge. On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based company said it had reached an agreement to acquire Sense Photonics, a Silicon Valley upstart that, like Ouster, has focused on developing digital lidar. Ouster will purchase Sense Photonics in exchange for 9.5 million shares of Ouster’s common stock.
Roundup
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis ranked highest overall and in the premium segment for innovation, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index.
In California, Waymo and Cruise move one step closer to offering commercial self-driving services.
High times in Japan: Toyota Motor Corp. is ready for takeoff in the brand-new world of electric air mobility…
… while Honda makes plans to branch out into electric air-mobility vehicles, avatar robots and even reusable rockets to launch satellites.
GM, General Electric to develop supply chain of rare earth materials for EVs.
One automaker’s new reality: Too much data.
Lucid’s philosophy: A mix of Tesla and the traditional.
Tesla co-founder J.B. Straubel, now CEO of a battery recycling company, is partnering with Ford to make vehicle electrification more sustainable.
Self-driving startup Aurora maps out commercial strategy.
Brain food
Advancements in lidar development are key to the future of autonomy, writes Jim Kane, vice president of automotive engineering and product at Baraja.
Last mile
“It’s been a dream of the Toyoda family to build a flying car,” said James Kuffner, CEO of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Woven Planet subsidiary.