There is one autonomous ride provider that can count on 1 billion people a day turning on an app that tracks their location, heading, and speed. I strongly suspect this data makes a lot more difference than a lidar sensor.
That might be useful with GPS. I am thinking of some worst cases.
And of course, that doesn't help you avoid all the others out there without it, facing over-bright oncoming headlights, and guessing which way the road bends.
And deer.
Remember the motto: Drive carefully. The life you save may be mine.
I'm pretty confident that, eventually, new roads and substantially renovated existing infrastructure will be designed to help AVs work better. But between lack of foresight, slow moving civil engineering standards, and self interest by incumbent manufacturers, we're going to get their ass end first.
First we're going to make AVs work in existing traffic on existing infrastructure. That will be more expensive and slower than it needs to be. Other things like vehicles designed specifically to be AVs used in mainly urban environments, with varying passenger capacities, and also variants for freight delivery are going to be developed along the way.
I double dare ANY auto maker to navigate the winding, blind curve and blind rise roads in the Sierra Nevada foothills. And miss suicidal leaping deer.
Methinks it can't be done without active/passive road reflectors or other aids to navigation. AKA rails for autos.
I don't expect city pedestrians to wear transponders. Unless the feature can be introduced to cell phones.
Any takers out there?