Polestar adds Luminar lidar to 3 SUV pre-orders, confirms it’s coming to Polestar 5 GT as well

Automotive safety and autonomy specialist Luminar Technologies announced that EV automaker Polestar intends to deepen its partnership with the former by implementing its long-range Iris lidar into the upcoming Polestar 5, based on the Precept concept. Additionally, the automaker has enabled consumers pre-ordering a Polestar 3 SUV to add the Luminar lidar to their configuration starting today.

The Polestar 3 is scheduled to begin deliveries in Q4 of this year after officially debuting last October. It will be the first SUV from the all-electric brand and its first model built on US soil, although initial deliveries will come from China.

Before the official unveiling, Polestar ($PSNY) teased us with some tidbits surrounding the 3 SUV, including its expected range and availability to order. One feature that Polestar was sharing as early as last summer was that the 3 would eventually offer autonomous highway piloting by utilizing Lidar sensors developed by Luminar ($LAZR) and centralized computing by NVIDIA.

Luminar’s advanced lidar technology is prominent in the upcoming EX90 from Polestar co-owner Volvo Cars, which is selling the all-electric SUV as the safest vehicle it has ever produced.

During the official 3 launch, Polestar again mentioned a Pilot Pack add-on coming in Q2 of 2023 that will include lidar. Thanks to high demand for the technology, Polestar has bumped up the availability to pre-order this option while confirming an expanded relationship with Luminar to implement lidar into future EVs.

You can now pre-order your Polestar 3 with Luminar lidar

According to Luminar Technologies, sales of the Polestar 3 equipped with its long-range Iris lidar have been moved up to today for customers in North America and Europe. While Polestar 3 deliveries are still on schedule for Q4, the automaker makes a point to share that deliveries of those EVs equipped with Luminar’s lidar tech are expected to arrive in 2024.

In addition to the Polestar 3 news, Luminar has confirmed that Polestar intends to deepen its partnership and integrate lidar technology into its Polestar 5 GT, expected to launch sometime in 2024. This is truly just a confirmation of a planned integration mentioned by Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath in December of 2021, when the automaker laid out its plans for a new EV model every year through 2025.

At the time, Ingenlath said the lidar sensor won’t protrude from the windshield as much as it does on the Precept concept EV it is based upon, noting that the technology would be supplied by Luminar. The Polestar CEO shared additional thoughts following today’s confirmation of the collaboration:

Luminar is at the forefront of lidar technology development and this closer collaboration will allow for greater innovation in our cars to come. We look forward to combining our R&D and product design expertise to deliver truly stunning lidar integration and capabilities for the Polestar brand.

Polestar 3 orders including lidar are available in Europe and North America today followed by Australia later this month and China by mid-April.