Home > Companies > Thought Leaders > "It’s time to raise the bar on automotive safety," says Aaron Jefferson Vice President of Product at Luminar Technologies

"It’s time to raise the bar on automotive safety," says Aaron Jefferson Vice President of Product at Luminar Technologies

Interview with Aaron Jefferson
Aaron Jefferson, Luminar Technologies' Vice President of Product, discusses a new era of next-generation vehicle safety and autonomous capabilities for production vehicles. Continue reading to learn more about the global automotive game-changer OEMs.

You have to understand what the end consumer wants and needs and marry that with the automakers’ plans and strategies for evolving their vehicle platforms

MEDIA 7: You've been at the forefront of delivering new technologies for over 20 years. What are some of the most exciting technologies you have explored in your career and look forward to discovering in the near future?
AARON JEFFERSON: It’s been incredible to witness the electrification of vehicles and the evolution of assisted driving technologies (ADAS). For me personally, I’ve always been focused on technology that can make vehicles safer and I believe Lidar will be a true game changer for safety and autonomy, which is why I’d call it the most exciting, near-term technology advancement for automotive.

M7: What are the most pressing issues you see Luminar and the industry as a whole facing in 2022?
AJ: It’s staggering that approximately 1.3 million lives are lost on roads every year, and as many as 50 million injuries caused by vehicle accidents. This is despite the increase of advanced driver assistance (ADAS) systems. In fact, according to new testing by AAA’s Automotive Engineering team, vehicles with an active driving assistance system failed to consistently avoid crashes with another car or bicycle during 15 test runs – it’s time to raise the bar on automotive safety. This is a solvable problem.
Luminar is developing an integrated hardware and software solution that enables Proactive Safety™, which surpasses traditional ADAS capabilities because it provides the vehicle with higher-confidence detections faster and farther than camera and radar, enabling proactive collision avoidance at much higher speeds. We believe Proactive Safety has the potential to be the most significant improvement in vehicle safety since the adoption of the 3-point safety belt.

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It’s critical to ensure the leadership team and the business development team agree to a roadmap that meets the needs of customers today and in the future



M7: What are your key strategies for creating a product roadmap?
AJ: There are essentially three parts to creating a compelling product roadmap. Part One is customer/market insight. You have to understand what the end consumer wants and needs and marry that with the automakers’ plans and strategies for evolving their vehicle platforms. This homework phase also has to do with understanding dynamics like supply, pricing, timing. It’s important that this phase is very data driven. If not, it will be nearly impossible to arrive at a consensus. Part two is factoring in the competitive landscape. You need to understand how your technology stack up globally against the alternatives. We have to understand where the competition is today and where it’s going to come from in the future, factoring in players just starting out and well-established. Part three is aligning your resources to deliver on the roadmap. It’s critical to ensure the leadership team and the business development team agree to a roadmap that meets the needs of customers today and in the future. It’s also important that product development and R&D teams are working towards the same priorities and milestones. Having all of these teams aligned and executing to the same plan is imperative.

M7: Luminar's Iris is the most advanced lidar solution for series production autonomy. Could you please share a little bit about Iris and the lidar technology it uses?
AJ: Iris is our sensor solution for next generation safety and autonomy that marries form and function - combining autograde performance and automotive aesthetic seamlessly. Luminar’s Iris is the first lidar-based Proactive Safety and autonomy platform to meet the rigorous performance, safety, cost and auto-grade requirements necessary for automotive series production. Luminar’s Iris sensor was architected to deliver the long-range, high resolution capability required to truly save lives and power autonomy. And, unlike competing, bolted-on solutions, Iris was designed from the beginning to be cleanly integrated into the vehicle roofline, offering the optimal vantage point for enabling autonomy while maintaining the aerodynamics and aesthetics auto enthusiasts demand. We’re working towards the launch of our Iris solution into consumer series production vehicle programs with customers like Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Polestar and more.

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Providing a full-stack autonomous system for series production programs is key to realizing our vision of making autonomous transportation safe and ubiquitous



M7: Luminar’s vision is to make autonomous transportation safe and ubiquitous. How do you ensure this through Sentinel, the industry's first full-stack autonomous solution for series?
AJ: Providing a full-stack autonomous system for series production programs is key to realizing our vision of making autonomous transportation safe and ubiquitous. Sentinel, which is currently under development, consists of a suite of sensors powered by Luminar’s perception software, capable of semantic segmentation of drivable free-space up to 80 meters, lane markers up to 150 meters, and objects beyond 250 meters. Sentinel integrates centralized decision and vehicle actuation provided by our partner Zenseact’s OnePilot software, which provides a single experience throughout the users’ journey. With OnePilot continuously assessing the surroundings to enable safe autonomous highway driving, Sentinel enables automakers to optimize this interface and ensures high levels of safety regardless of who is in control. It also features over-the-air update capability allowing automakers to seamlessly improve the functionality over time.

M7: What is your go-to resource – websites, newsletters, any other – that helps you stay updated on the industry?
AJ: My number one source of information is engaging directly with customers. We are deeply involved and working directly with our customers on development programs, which gives us the best inside track on the market and how it is evolving. Because of these early and deep engagements, no one knows our market as well as we do. By nurturing direct relationships with customers, including C-suite to C-suite connections, we have a crystal clear understanding of what the industry needs and where it’s going.

ABOUT LUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES

Luminar Technologies is a global automotive technology company ushering in a new era of vehicle safety and autonomy. For the past decade, Luminar has built an advanced hardware and software platform to enable its more than 50 industry partners, including the majority of global automotive OEMs. From Volvo Cars for consumer vehicles and Daimler Truck AG for commercial trucks, to tech partners NVIDIA and Intel’s Mobileye, Luminar is the first automotive technology company to enable next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for production vehicles. For more information please visit www.luminartech.com.

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Kuehne+Nagel pioneers carbon insetting for electric trucks to accelerate fleet electrification

Kuehne+Nagel | January 08, 2024

The new year starts with electrifying news as Kuehne+Nagel announces its Book & Claim insetting solution for electric vehicles. This makes Kuehne+Nagel the first logistics service provider to launch this solution, which previously was limited to low-emission fuels. Implementing decarbonisation solutions and helping customers achieve their sustainability goals is a key component of Kuehne+Nagel’s Roadmap 2026 Living ESG cornerstone. Developing Book & Claim insetting solutions for road freight was a strategic priority for Kuehne+Nagel. Last October, it launched an insetting solution for HVO—now followed by electric vehicles. The first-of-its-kind solution has been tested and validated in cooperation with leading external stakeholders. Customers who use Kuehne+Nagel’s road transport services can now ‘claim’ the carbon reductions of electric trucks when it is not possible to physically move their goods on these vehicles. Reasons for that could be insufficient charging infrastructure or a limited driving range and payload. The solution helps to bridge those challenges which today still limit the deployment of electric trucks. “We see battery-Electric Vehicles (BEVs) as the future to reduce emissions in road freight. Carbon insetting supports the scale-up of low-emission solutions like BEVs and helps to reduce the premium that customers pay for these solutions, thereby supporting the decarbonisation of road transport,” says Hansjörg Rodi, Member of the Management Board at Kuehne+Nagel International AG, responsible for Road Logistics. For now, only Kuehne+Nagel’s owned BEVs are part of the Book & Claim offer to keep full control and transparency over the accuracy of the data that is used in the calculations. However, the team aims to expand the solution to BEVs operated by its partners so that it can support them in their fleet electrification journeys too. “Purchasing electric trucks can be a heavy financial burden, especially for smaller carriers. Including carriers in our solution requires further complex developments in the accounting methodology, but it would help them to finance their transition. This is our next priority,” concludes Rodi.

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Logistics, Supply Chain, Transportation

AIT Worldwide Logistics Acquires Global Transport Solutions Group

Business Wire | February 05, 2024

AIT Worldwide Logistics, one of the world’s leaders in global supply chain solutions, has acquired Global Transport Solutions Group (GTS), a prominent international freight forwarder specializing in time-critical marine spare parts logistics. Headquartered in the Netherlands, GTS and its more than 600 teammates across 16 locations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, serve over 2,000 ports around the world. The GTS network also includes nine consolidation hubs totaling more than 45,000 square meters of warehouse space. AIT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vaughn Moore, said, “I’d like to welcome our new GTS teammates to the global AIT network. This is the largest acquisition in our company’s history and GTS’ marine spare parts business is an excellent complement to AIT’s time-critical supply chain solutions.” The company’s business is divided into two sub-brands: Marinetrans (founded in 1991), excelling in “door-to-deck” spare parts logistics for ship owners and managers, and Best Global Logistics (founded in 2007), providing time-critical solutions and general forwarding for other industries, including life sciences shippers. According to AIT’s Chief Business Officer, Greg Weigel, the acquisition provides the company with new geographic presence in Greece, Japan and the Nordic region while adding significant capacity and subject matter expertise to existing AIT networks in China, the Netherlands and Singapore. The deal also provides a strong foundation to expand GTS’ world-class marine spare parts solutions via AIT’s expansive global freight network. “The acquisition of GTS creates an incredible portfolio of solutions serving the maritime industry with delivery of time-critical spare parts across all geographies. This is a perfect complement to AIT’s vertical strategies focused on expedited mission-critical services like our Critical Solutions Group, government and AOG team, and Life Sciences Division,” Weigel said. “We plan to rapidly invest and expand GTS’ North American operations by capitalizing on AIT’s robust salesforce in the United States and offering maritime customers a world-class spare parts logistics solution in every port.” AIT President and Chief Operating Officer, Keith Tholan, noted that the GTS core values – customer first, operational excellence, and partnership and collaboration – closely mirror AIT’s core values. “We are delighted to welcome GTS teammates to AIT,” Tholan said. “Their deep marine logistics expertise and three decades of proven on-time performance in a very demanding segment will complement the diverse solutions we offer across our vertical sector strategy. We also expect our best-in-class global air freight procurement will instantly benefit their time-critical operations.” According to GTS co-CEO John Burgstra, the acquisition is an opportunity for GTS to further expand their worldwide operations. “We aim to provide our clients an unrivaled experience when it comes to global visibility, transparency and on-time performance, fully unburdening them of the required logistical handling of their vessels’ spare parts,” he said. “We are excited about becoming part of a larger group and the global development opportunities this acquisition will provide for our teammates.” “Because of the highly fragmented and international nature of our clients’ requirements, they need a trusted partner with a vetted and effective global network,” added GTS co-CEO Vegard Prytz. “GTS will gain enormous benefits from leveraging the global AIT infrastructure, creating an even more integrated and seamless solution for clients around the world.”

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