Railergy selects Aeva to enable autonomous train technology

09 Aug 2023

European freight carrier to deploy FMCW 4D lidar sensors to replace its conventional 3D lidar system.

A train using Railergy's solution powered by Aeva's Aeries II 4D lidar.

Aeva, a developer of sensing and perception systems, today announced that Railergy, an Augsburg, Germany-based supplier of railway automation solutions, has selected Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D lidar technology to enable sensing for its automatic train operation solution.

Aeva’s Aeries II sensors provide critical velocity data and sensing to identify obstacles that could prevent the safe passage of autonomous locomotives.

Jakob Gärtner, a founder at Railergy, commented, “Aeva’s 4D lidar technology has been transformative in enabling safety for our automatic train operation solution. It helps to ensure that our solutions are on track to deliver a greener, more efficient rail industry through automation.”

Railergy’s system automates trains for shunting applications, where trains are separated, moved, and linked together with new cars, allowing a locomotive to safely operate without a driver or remote control. Additional uses for the solution include “main line and last mile applications”, for example in seaports and with freight and mining operations.

Railergy said it chose Aeva’s 4D lidar for its ability to simultaneously detect precise range and the velocity of small obstacles on and around the rails. Aeva’s instant velocity data enables the real-time segmentation of moving and non-moving objects.

Velocity data also powers Aeva’s Ultra Resolution perception capabilities which provide higher resolution than conventional time of flight lidar sensors. Together, these features enable Railergy to meet use case requirements that could not be achieved using conventional lidar.

Barrs Lang, VP Global Sales at Aeva, said, “Railergy is an innovator in the transportation industry, and we are excited to support the development of its automatic train operation solution for customers, starting with one of Europe’s largest cargo train operators. We look forward to working with them to scale their solution using our Aeries II lidar technology.”

Aeva reports mixed Q2 2023 results

Coincident with the Railergy announcement, Aeva also published its latest trading results, covering the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

Second quarter financial highlights (compared with Q2, 2022) included: revenue of $0.7 million ($1.5 million); Non-GAAP operating loss of $31.1 million ($29.3 million); and a Non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.13 ($0.13).

Aeva also noted several business developments, besides the abovementioned Railergy deal, which it described as “Key Company Highlights”.

These included: “Deepened integration with Top-10 OEM with a strategic collaboration agreement to use Aeva’s perception stack built around its velocity data to achieve the OEM’s use cases, and expansion of on-road deployment into 2024; completed development of lidar-on-chip module for first Nikon product with performance specifications validated by Nikon; and Aeva continued to advance on opportunities for large scale deployment in automotive and industrial automation.”

Soroush Salehian, Co-Founder and CEO, commented, “These [developments] along with our entrance into rail are further recognition of the differentiated performance of our FMCW technology and the growing interest in our capabilities to safely enable next-generation automation. Our priority remains on progressing with our partners and converting additional ongoing opportunities to program wins.”