BUILDING A SELF-DRIVING car, it turns out, is a bit like planning a wedding. No matter how much time you give yourself, you risk being overwhelmed by the sheer number of things that need doing. Find a venue. Design the interior. Pick your signature music. Rebuild a global supply chain.
In 2016, when BMW said it would deliver fully self-driving cars, as part of a ride-hailing service, by 2021, it seemed to have plenty of time. But now it has just three years left; in an industry where developing a new car can take seven years, it’s a good thing the automaker has gotten around to picking its lidar supplier.