LIDAR units are nowhere near that expensive. Even ten years ago, the Velodyne top of car units only cost about $80,000. The short range ones, found at vehicle

LIDAR units are nowhere near that expensive. Even ten years ago, the Velodyne top of car units only cost about $80,000. The short range ones, found at vehicle corners and on the rear, are now around $200 - $1500. The long range car-top unit is still expensive, around $10,000, and that's dropping. The whole sensor suite on a Waymo is probably under US$20,000 right now. If that. The future direction for automotive seems to be more car-top sensors with narrower fields of view that add up to a full circle. Only the one that looks ahead needs 300m range.