RoboSense, the Chinese LiDAR maker that EV has confirmed to be Rivian’s undisclosed sensor supplier for the upcoming R2 SUV, has been named the exclusive LiDAR partner for all 11 new energy vehicles unveiled by BYD Co. on Thursday.
The announcement came at BYD‘s technology launch event in Shenzhen, where the company debuted its second-generation Blade Battery and upgraded megawatt flash-charging technology.
RoboSense’s digital LiDAR was exclusively equipped across all configurable model options.
The eleven models unveiled include the BYD Song Ultra EV, 2026 Sealion 06 EV, 2026 Seal 07 EV, Seal 08, Da Tang, 2026 Denza Z9 GT, 2026 Yangwang U7, U8 and U8L, and the Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 EV and Ti3 EV flash-charging editions.
The models include BYD’s main brand but also its premium Denza, luxury Yangwang and off-road Fang Cheng Bao sub-brands.
The scope of the partnership extends beyond flagship vehicles.
According to filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, BYD has expanded LiDAR as a compatible feature to entry-level models including the Seagull — its cheapest vehicle, priced from 56,800 yuan ($8,200) in China — furthering what RoboSense described as the “democratization of intelligent driving capabilities.”
32 Model Design Wins
RoboSense disclosed during its second-quarter earnings call in August 2025 that it had secured design wins for up to 32 models from a leading Chinese EV OEM, without naming the company.
Thursday’s announcement confirms BYD as that customer.
The company’s EM4 digital LiDAR platform, launched in early 2025 as the world’s first mass-producible “thousand-beam” unit, has been in large-scale production since July 2025.
The system is built on RoboSense’s proprietary SPAD-SoC and VCSEL chips and integrates crosstalk elimination, all-condition photoelectric signal processing and lossless data compression.
Customizable Configurations
The EM4 supports customizable configurations of 520, 720, 1,080 and 2,160 beams, allowing RoboSense to adapt the hardware to different vehicle models and autonomous driving levels.
The 1,080-beam version offers a maximum angular resolution of 0.050° by 0.025° and detection range of up to 600 meters, capable of identifying tires at 180 meters, small objects at 250 meters and traffic cones within 300 meters.
RoboSense said the EM4 can increase system response time by up to 70% compared to current mainstream LiDAR products.
The 520-beam customized version demonstrated in testing the ability to detect a 13-by-17-centimeter cardboard box at approximately 130 meters.
The 520-beam version has already achieved mass production deployment on IM Motors’ LS9 and LS6, and the Zeekr 9X. Beyond passenger vehicles, the EM4 has secured primary LiDAR design wins from multiple leading North American and Chinese robotaxi operators for next-generation vehicles designed for large-scale commercial deployment.
Rivian Connection
RoboSense also listed among its ADAS customers an unnamed “global top pure-electric pickup newcomer brand” and a joint venture of “a leading European luxury automaker.”
As reported by EV last month, multiple indicators point to RoboSense as Rivian’s undisclosed LiDAR supplier for the R2 SUV.
Rivian announced in December that the R2 would feature LiDAR integration but described the partner only as “undisclosed.”
The supply deal was confirmed by EV last month.
In April 2025, RoboSense said it had partnered with “a leading emerging automaker in North America” and a “North American new energy vehicle brand.”
The R2 is scheduled to begin US deliveries in the first half of 2026.
Official pricing and trims will be revealed on March 12.
Financial Turnaround
The BYD partnership deepens at a pivotal moment for RoboSense’s finances.
The Hong Kong-listed company said in a recent filing that it expects its full-year 2025 net loss to narrow to no more than 180 million yuan ($24.7 million), down from 481.8 million yuan in 2024 — a reduction of at least 62.6%.
The improvement was driven by rising LiDAR sales throughout the year and a quarterly net profit of at least 60 million yuan in the fourth quarter, marking the company’s first ever profitable quarter.
When considering only robotics-focused LiDAR sensors, it delivered 303,000 units during the year, a 1,141.8% increase from 2024.
