Elon Musk doesn’t like lidar, the laser sensor that powers many companies’ self-driving ambitions. He previously called it a “crutch” and said any company that relies on lidar for its autonomous capabilities was “doomed.” Well, apparently Tesla is stocking up on crutches. In its quarterly earnings report released today, Orlando-based lidar manufacturer Luminar disclosed that Tesla was its “largest LiDAR customer in Q1,” comprising more than 10 percent of the company’s revenue for the quarter.
Luminar spokesperson Milin Mehta declined to comment, and Tesla hasn’t responded officially to any reporters’ queries since 2019. But it shouldn’t come as a total shock that Tesla is lidar-curious. In 2021, a Tesla Model Y was photographed in Florida sporting rooftop lidar sensors made by Luminar. And Bloomberg reported that Tesla entered a partnership with Luminar to use lidar for “testing and developing,” the exact nature of which remains unknown.