BYD’s cheapest electric cars to have LiDAR self-driving tech

Chinese car giant BYD has reportedly been offering LiDAR sensors in upcoming versions of some of its cheapest cars on the market.

According to CNC, the latest to be approved versions of both the Seagull, known as the Atto 1 in Australia, and the Dolphin hatchback will come equipped with LiDAR sensors to improve advanced driver assistance system offerings on these cars.

With this tech, both models are expected to come with 12 cameras, 5 mm wave radars, a dozen ultrasonic sensors as well as the new LiDAR sensor.

These roof-mounted LiDAR sensors have previously been spotted on BYD and other EV makers’ models priced at more than  $A25,000, at least in international markets, so seeing them on cars that are priced under that is quite a big step in bringing this technology to the mass market.

This also means that BYD has been working quite hard at bringing this tech to these low-cost models given they originally launched with BYD’s autonomous God’s Eye suite last year.

With the addition of the LiDAR, these models could come standard with Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) functionality for highways and city streets, allowing more drivers than ever to experience and use this tech.

For comparison, BYD’s Seagull has seen over a million units sold in under 3 years, although it has yet to start deliveries in Australia as the Atto 1.

With that scale and now the model making it to international markets, the tech inside could end up being in dozens of countries in the coming 12 months.

Here in Australia, the Atto 1 pre-orders opened in November last year, with prices starting under $24,000 confirmed in December.

The Atto 1 is available in two variants, the base level Essentials with a 30 kWh battery, as well a top-spec Premium variant with a 43.2 kWh battery. 

The small battery delivers a range of around 220 km of WLTP range, while the bigger 43.2 kWh battery pack is good for 310 km of WLTP range.

Inside, the tech offered is fairly good for its price, but does not feature the camera suite for the latest ADAS version found in China. 

Currently, no BYD product available in the Australian market features LiDAR sensors but that could change with developments such as the upcoming affordable model variants featuring this tech.

We will watch this space closely as the competition to deliver assisted-driving systems heats up not only in China but also in other markets around the world.