Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On April 15, RoboSense, a Chinese provider of smart LiDAR sensor systems, and DiDi Autonomous Driving entered into a strategic partnership to advance the deployment of L4 autonomous driving technologies.
The new collaboration centers on DiDi's first L4 Robotaxi model co-developed with GAC AION, which will be equipped with RoboSense's all-solid-state digital LiDAR sensor, the E1, to enhance perception capabilities and unlock broader application scenarios.
The new L4 Robotaxi model incorporates DiDi Autonomous Driving's latest-generation autonomous driving hardware platform, featuring a total of 33 sensors, including six RoboSense E1 near-field blind-spot LiDAR units. This diverse, sensor-fusion approach allows for 360-degree perception across all driving conditions, optimized for global deployment. The model is slated for mass production and delivery by the end of 2025 and marks a milestone as the industry's first L4 Robotaxi to adopt all-solid-state blind-spot LiDAR for volume production use.
RoboSense describes the E1 as a landmark product in the digitalization of LiDAR, marking it the industry's inaugural and currently only company to achieve in-house R&D and volume production of SPAD-SoC chip. The E1 also pioneers two-dimensional addressable VCSEL technology, overcomes issues related to high thermal expansion, and achieves an industry-first by integrating LiDAR reception and signal processing into a single chip without any moving parts, ensuring reliability across various scenarios.
As one of the earliest Chinese companies to enter the L4 autonomous driving space, DiDi Autonomous Driving has been leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies to develop and commercialize L4 self-driving systems. It was the first to launch a hybrid dispatch model integrating Robotaxi services into the DiDi app. Combined with DiDi's proprietary software and hardware stack and its Huiju Port intelligent operations framework, the Robotaxi fleet has been operating safely for over 1,700 consecutive days in pilot zones across Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai cities.
RoboSense has now partnered with more than 310 global automakers and Tier 1 suppliers. In the Robotaxi segment alone, the company has established mass production collaborations with six globally renowned L4 autonomous driving firms as of the first quarter of 2025.
