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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Verdict: Waymo’s custom-lidar strategy appears to be working as an internal robotaxi technology program, but its separate plan to license lidar to outside customers remains commercially unproven. Waymo still uses lidar in its sixth-generation Driver, has reduced the hardware burden compared with earlier systems, and is operating a rapidly expanding driverless service. However, the company has not disclosed current lidar costs, external customers, shipment volumes, revenue, or profitability.
Waymo kept its lidar commitment—but lidar is only one part of the system
Waymo has not followed the camera-only path pursued by some autonomous-driving competitors. Its current Driver combines lidar, cameras, radar, microphones, onboard computing, mapping, and software. Waymo says lidar measures object distance and size across a 360-degree field and can detect objects as far as 300 meters under stated conditions, while cameras add visual recognition and radar supplies complementary sensing. See Waymo’s sensor explanation.
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That distinction matters. Waymo’s safety and driving performance cannot be credited to lidar alone. The vehicle’s behavior also depends on sensor fusion, perception, prediction, planning, maps, operational limits, remote assistance, vehicle integration, and the company’s validation process.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat Waymo originally set out to do
Waymo began developing custom sensors because it wanted control over the specifications and the way those sensors fitted into the complete autonomous-driving system. Its early hardware work targeted field of view, near-field coverage, redundancy, mounting, software interfaces, and manufacturing cost rather than simply buying generic components.
#1 Best Overall
- [High Accuracy] DTOF FHL-LD19 Kit, based on DTOF LD19, which has a sampling rate of 8000 times/s. In addition, The lidar ranging distance can reach up to 12 meters Based on white objects with 70% reflectivity,so it can collect environmental information at a rather high speed and accuracy, ensure a real-time performance.
- [360 Degree 2D Scanning] The ranging core of DTOF FHL-LD19 rotates clockwise, performs 360 degree 2D omnidirectional lidar range scan on the surrounding environment, and generates an outline map. configurable scan rate from 5~13Hz, Typical 10Hz.
- [Plug and Play] With the 3 feature: Build-in Serial Port and USB Interface, Open Source SDK and Tools and Integration with ROS, Just connecting the DTOF FHL-LD19 and a computer via a micro USB cable, users can use the DTOF FHL-LD19 without any coding job. DTOF technology, which repairs electrical connection errors due to physical wear and prolong the life-span.
- [Widely Application] It can be used for home service/cleaning robot navigation and localization, general robot navigation and localization, smart toy’s localization and obstacle avoidance, environment scanning and 3D re-modeling, General simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), etc.
- [Wiki] You can find more docs by wiki.youyeetoo.com/en/Lidar/LD19.Any technical issues after purchase please contact with our forum by forum.youyeetoo.com/ or click "WayPonDEV" Store and ask a question. Or send message to monica @ youyeetoo.com
In 2017, Waymo described custom lidar and radar as an integrated suite. The company emphasized short-range lidar coverage immediately around the vehicle, including areas beside and behind it—important zones for detecting bicycles, scooters, pedestrians, pets, debris, and vehicles moving close to the car. The original announcement is available in Waymo’s custom-hardware overview.
The second part of the plan was external commercialization. In 2019, Waymo introduced its Laser Bear Honeycomb perimeter lidar to selected partners, arguing that outside applications could increase manufacturing volume and help lower unit costs. Waymo claimed a 360-degree horizontal field of view, a 95-degree vertical field of view, detection from zero distance, and up to four returns per laser pulse. Those were company product claims, not independent comparative test results; the original announcement is at Waymo’s partner announcement.
What is on the sixth-generation Waymo Driver?
Waymo says its sixth-generation system uses:
- 13 cameras
- Four lidar sensors
- Six radar units
- External audio receivers
That is a lower and simpler sensor arrangement than previous generations, according to Waymo. The company says improvements in sensor capability and placement allow it to reduce the number of components while preserving safety-critical redundancy. Waymo’s announcement is detailed in its sixth-generation overview.
Industry reporting from CES 2025 indicated that front and rear lidar units were removed as part of the cost-reduction effort. That report should not be treated as a complete official placement diagram: Waymo’s public announcement confirms the total lidar count but does not disclose every installation detail.
The important correction is that Waymo did not remove lidar. It reduced and rearranged the lidar hardware while retaining a multimodal architecture.
Is Waymo’s lidar cheaper?
Almost certainly cheaper per vehicle than earlier Waymo systems, but the current figure is unknown.
Rank #2
- [High-precision Fused 2D LiDAR] RPLIDAR C1 2D lidar sensor support ranging radius up to 12m, Ranging blind spot as low as 0.05m, Scanning frequency 8~12Hz, Typical: 10Hz (600rpm), 5K sampling frequency, 0.72° angular resolution, IP54 Proof Level, Light intensity resistance: 40,000lux, Ranging Resolution: ±30mm, Pitch Angle: 0°-1.5°, Range Accuracy: 15mm.
- [HD High Definition and Cost-Effective] RPLIDAR C1 lidar scanner integrates the technical advantages accumulated in triangulation and TOF ranging for many years, enabling C1 rangefinder to meet the requirements of robot positioning, mapping, and navigation in terms of ranging accuracy, distance measurement, anti-interference, and anti-adhesion performance.
- [Compact in Size and Easy to Integrate] RPLIDAR C1 lidar sensor not only delivers powerful performance but also features a compact and agile design. It is small and has low levels of noise and vibration, making it easy to integrate into various applications. Its compact size and versatility open up a wide range of possibilities and uses.
- [Comprehensive SDK tutorial and Support ROS] WayPonDEV can provides SDK development packages that can run on different platforms such as x86 Windows, x86 Linux, and arm Linux. RPLIDAR C1 2D LiDAR supports ROS and ROS2 operating systems, assisting customers in development and integration across various operating systems and architectures.
- [Widely Application Scenarios] RPLIDAR C1 Lidar Sensor rangefinder can be applied to Home Robots, Environmental scanning and 3D reconstruction, Commercial Robot, Obstacle detection and avoidance, Autonomous Vehicles in Low-Speed Parks, Parking Lot Space Monitoring and so on.
| Question | What is publicly established |
|---|---|
| Did the sixth-generation system target lower cost? | Yes. Waymo says the hardware was optimized for significantly lower cost and simpler manufacturing. |
| Is there a current per-sensor price? | No public, verified figure was disclosed. |
| How did the fifth generation compare with its predecessor? | Waymo said its fifth-generation sensors cost half as much as the prior generation. That is a historical company claim, not a sixth-generation price. |
| Does fewer lidar units automatically mean less capability? | No. Coverage depends on placement, range, field of view, resolution, redundancy, software, and the rest of the sensor suite—not sensor count alone. |
Historical estimates sometimes cited in coverage—including figures in the tens of thousands of dollars—refer to earlier development-era hardware and should not be used as the current cost of a sixth-generation vehicle. Waymo’s fifth-generation claim appears in its 2020 announcement; the sixth-generation cost objective appears in the newer announcement.
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Even a lower sensor bill does not prove lower robotaxi costs. A complete vehicle also requires mounting, wiring, power, onboard computing, sensor covers, cleaning or heating systems, calibration, mapping, software validation, depot labor, repairs, insurance, and downtime. The meaningful business metric is total cost per autonomous mile, not the sticker price of one lidar unit.
Does lidar explain Waymo’s safety results?
Waymo attributes safety to the complete Waymo Driver. Its public safety materials describe a layered process for validating software, hardware, new cities, and new vehicle platforms before deployment. The company’s safe-to-deploy explanation describes that readiness process.
Waymo has reported more than 220 million fully autonomous miles through the end of March 2026. In San Francisco, it reported 94% fewer airbag-deployment crashes and 86% fewer injury-involving crashes than a human-driver benchmark across more than 5.4 million fully autonomous miles. These are company-reported comparisons. Their interpretation depends on the benchmark, operating domain, exposure, and statistical treatment.
The defensible conclusion is narrower than “lidar makes Waymo safer”: lidar is part of a sensor architecture that has supported strong publicly reported safety results, but available public evidence does not isolate lidar’s incremental contribution from cameras, radar, software, maps, operational restrictions, or deployment controls.
Has the strategy produced meaningful commercial scale?
The clearest evidence is Waymo’s robotaxi service, not a standalone lidar-sales business. Waymo reported more than 15 million rides in 2025—more than triple its 2024 volume—and said it had passed 20 million lifetime rides by February 2026. Those figures demonstrate substantial usage and deployment scale, but they do not prove profitability or show that lidar alone caused the growth. See Waymo’s February 2026 announcement.
Rank #3
- 1, Model: TF-Luna, Operating range: 0.2-8m, Distance resolution: 1cm, Power comsumption: not over 0.35W, Frame rate: 1-250Hz, Frequency: 100Hz, FOV: 2 degree, Net weight: not over 5g, Communication: UART/I2C interface, Power supply: 5V. Compatible with Raspberry Pi Pico, Pixhawk and WiFi_Lora_32 0.96" oled display transceiver module.
- 2, TF-Luna is a single-point ranging LiDAR, based on TOF principle. It is built with algorithms adapted to various application environments and adopts multiple adjustable configurations and parameters so as to offer excellent distance measurement performances in complex application fields and scenarios.
- 3, TF-Luna module comes with UART and I2C interface, default communication interface is UART, IIC can be realized by wiring pins, if you need to use I2C interface, please set it yourself. There are 3pcs cables comes with the lidar, 1.25mm-6Pin male to male connector wire, 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to male/female dupont cables, covers the cables for most scenarios, makes it easy and convenient for your connections.
- 4, TF-Luna Lidar is very light, very suitable for scenarios with strict load requirements. Main Applications: Short distance obstacle avoidance, Auxiliany focus, Elevator projection, Intrusion detection, Level measurement etc.
- 5, What you will get is: 1pc TF-Luna LiDAR Range finder sensor module, 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male to male connector wire, 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to male dupont cable, and 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to female dupont cable. If you have any question, please contact us by click "WISHIOT" under the shopping cart and click "Ask a question" in the new page
Waymo’s external lidar program has a weaker public record. In a July 2026 EE Times interview, lidar leader Simon Verghese confirmed multiple Honeycomb design wins. The interview did not identify the customers or disclose prices, shipments, revenue, production volumes, or margins.
“Design win” can describe anything from an engineering evaluation or prototype integration to a production nomination. Without customer names, production status, unit volumes, repeat orders, or revenue, the correct description is commercial traction without public commercial transparency—not a proven independent lidar business.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Waymo’s mechanical lidar still a rational choice?
According to the EE Times interview, Honeycomb uses a mechanical design with a rotating mirror and turntable. That is notable because much of the lidar market has emphasized solid-state, flash, and other scanning architectures.
Mechanical lidar brings moving parts and therefore potential packaging, reliability, maintenance, and cost concerns. But it can also provide broad coverage and a mature scanning approach. Solid-state designs may simplify packaging and durability, while making different trade-offs in field of view, range, resolution, or scanning behavior. There is no universal winner without comparable testing under the same conditions.
For Waymo, the relevant competitive product may not be a sensor at all. Its advantage may come from co-designing lidar with perception, calibration, maps, simulation, compute, cleaning systems, vehicle mounting, and fleet operations. A technically strong sensor that does not fit the rest of the stack could be less valuable than a custom sensor optimized for the entire vehicle.
The practical failure points are outside the headline specifications
Weather and contamination
Nominal range and field of view do not answer how the system performs in heavy rain, snow, fog, dust, mud, salt, road spray, ice, condensation, direct sunlight, or a dirty sensor window. Redundancy helps, but it does not eliminate the need for cleaning, heating, air jets, wipers, inspection, and depot maintenance.
Occlusion
Lidar does not see through parked vehicles, trucks, construction barriers, dense foliage, heavy precipitation, or an obstructed sensor cover. Multiple sensor positions and fusion can reduce the consequences, but they cannot eliminate occlusion.
Near-field behavior
Zero-meter minimum detection is valuable, but detecting an object is not the same as classifying it and responding in time. The practical question is how reliably the complete system handles children, cyclists, scooters, pets, debris, and objects beside the bumper.
Maintenance and calibration
A sensor can be excellent in the lab and expensive in a fleet. Publicly verified current figures are not available for Honeycomb cleaning frequency, replacement rates, mean time between failures, repair downtime, or post-collision calibration. Those metrics matter directly to cost per autonomous mile.
How Waymo’s approach compares with the alternatives
Camera-only systems can reduce hardware cost and provide rich color, text, and semantic information. Lidar supplies direct geometry and depth, while radar can contribute velocity information and robustness in some conditions. Waymo’s continued multimodal approach shows that it considers the combined architecture the better fit for its Level 4 operating model; it does not prove that camera-only autonomy is impossible.
Third-party lidar can reduce internal hardware responsibility and provide access to specialist suppliers. Custom lidar gives Waymo greater control over specifications, software interfaces, supply, manufacturing, and its long-term roadmap—but also imposes R&D, validation, yield, and supply-chain burdens.
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The full-system comparison is the fairest one. A lidar module, a perception stack, a complete autonomous-driving system, and a robotaxi fleet are different products. Comparing only sensor prices or isolated range figures misses the integration work that determines whether a vehicle can operate reliably and economically.
Final assessment
- Internal robotaxi strategy: Working operationally. Waymo still uses lidar, has reduced the sixth-generation sensor burden, and is scaling a driverless service.
- Cost reduction: Directionally credible, but the size of the improvement and its effect on fleet economics are not publicly verified.
- Safety contribution: Plausible and strategically important, but inseparable from Waymo’s complete multimodal system.
- External licensing: Multiple design wins indicate early traction, not a demonstrated standalone business.
- Strategic payoff: Waymo’s custom lidar program appears to have paid off primarily as a systems-engineering and fleet-scaling strategy—not yet as a transparent, large independent sensor business.
Waymo’s original bet therefore looks more successful inside its own vehicles than outside them. The company has shown that custom lidar can remain part of a commercial autonomous-driving platform while becoming smaller, cheaper, and more integrated. It has not yet shown enough public evidence to conclude that Honeycomb has become a substantial lidar supplier in its own right.
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