Lidar shortage slows the advent of autonomous vehicles
Almost every company aiming to develop self-driving cars, except Tesla, relies upon lidar sensor technology, which accurately maps real-world surroundings by bouncing laser beams off objects. However, the size and cost of devices are significant obstacles to the technology's development. Lidar sensors are bulky pieces of equipment, costing thousands of dollars a piece. And as the race to develop autonomous cars hots up, lidar manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand. Particular hope is centred on solid-state lidar systems, which will be significantly cheaper. Velodyne, a sensor manufacturer, claims to have built a solid-state lidar device for $50. 
Lots of things are holding up the development of self-driving cars, including government regulation and the sheer complexity of getting the tech right. But one of the biggest issues right now is a crippling shortage of a special laser sensor, used by autonomous vehicles to figure out what’s going on around them.

Wait times for this laser, known as a lidar, have stretched to more than six months. A year ago, they took just a few weeks to ship.