Audi self-driving unit taps newcomer Aeva for its unique lidar

Audi's self-driving unit has tapped a startup with a unique approach to lidar as it ramps up testing in Munich using a fleet of autonomous electric e-tron crossover vehicles. Audi subsidiary Autonomous Intelligent Driving, or AID, said Wednesday it's using lidar sensors developed by Aeva, a startup founded just two years ago by veterans of Apple and Nikon. Aeva, a Mountain View, Calif.-based company started by Soroush Salehian and Mina Rezk, has developed what it describes as "4D lidar" that can measure distance as well as instant velocity without losing range, all while preventing interference from the sun or other sensors.