5. Discussion

5.1 Choosing LiDAR

In the early days of the autonomous car, executives at Tesla were convinced that LiDAR was superfluous as a sensor. Tesla's early prototypes used only video cameras to perform autonomous navigation tasks. After an unfortunate accident in June 2020 in Taiwan, where a Tesla collided with a truck lying on the road, the automaker explained that the vehicle's sensors had failed to discern the white of the truck from the bright sky. The American manufacturer subsequently revised its position on LiDAR sensors.

Indeed, a LiDAR sensor would undoubtedly have prevented this accident, as the laser does not depend on light conditions but on the geometry of obstacles on the road. LIDAR can be used in very bright environments, such as in direct sunlight,...