Recently, the 2026 Li Auto L9 Livis has officially hit the market. Breaking industry conventions, the model eliminates all 12 ultrasonic radars across the vehicle and equips 10 UWB near-field sensing units to handle full-vehicle near-environment perception, making it the first mass-produced flagship vehicle in the industry to fully replace ultrasonic radars. Meanwhile, Niu Technologies’ U3 series electric two-wheelers take the lead in adopting UWB radars, replacing conventional millimeter-wave radars to deliver BSD Blind Spot Detection and RCW Rear Collision Warning functions. The launch of these two benchmark models marks the official onset of UWB Ultra-Wideband technology replacing traditional automotive ultrasonic and short-range millimeter-wave radars, reshaping the landscape of automotive near-field sensing technology.

UWB is a carrier-free ultra-wideband pulsed communication and sensing technology. Leveraging nanosecond-scale narrow pulse transmission, it boasts core strengths including centimeter-level positioning, high-precision radar detection, strong anti-interference performance, low power consumption and robust penetration capability. After decades of iterative R&D for military use, the technology was opened to civilian applications in 2002 and achieved large-scale commercialization via consumer electronics in 2019. The upcoming rollout of the new-generation IEEE 802.15.4ab protocol and refined domestic UWB radio administration regulations have drastically elevated its technical maturity and compatibility, laying a solid foundation for large-scale vehicle-mounted mass production. Compared with conventional radars, UWB radars overcome the flaws of ultrasonic radars — which are highly susceptible to interference from weather, dust and temperature and lack vertical detection capacity — while retaining the high-precision merits of millimeter-wave radars. Additionally, UWB supports hardware reuse and integrated communication-sensing, delivering outstanding overall cost-performance.

Vehicle-mounted UWB application scenarios keep expanding, forming two core systems: positioning and perception. For positioning, UWB serves as the core technology for smart digital car keys. With centimeter-level precise positioning and high-security encryption, it has been widely adopted by mainstream automakers, and also enables functions such as precision parking positioning and vehicle searching in parking lots. Hyundai and Kia’s Vision Pulse technology built on UWB can detect surrounding targets within a 100-meter range with 10-centimeter accuracy, greatly boosting driving safety. In the perception domain, UWB radars can reuse existing vehicle hardware to realize multiple functions including CPD Child Presence Detection, electronic sentinel monitoring, hands-free kick-to-open door and parking assistance, fully complying with new vehicle safety regulations at home and abroad. For two-wheeled mobility, UWB radars effectively resolve pain points of traditional millimeter-wave radars such as close-range misjudgment and high power draw, significantly improving riding safety.

Industry statistics indicate that the global shipment volume of UWB devices will achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21% from 2025 to 2030, and the number of vehicles equipped with vehicle-mounted UWB will exceed 55 million units by 2030, demonstrating vast room for industrial growth. As technology evolves, the new IEEE 802.15.4ab protocol will boost transmission distance by 8 times while comprehensively upgrading anti-interference capacity and ranging precision, further expanding the scope of vehicle-mounted applications.

At present, the domestic and global UWB industrial ecosystem is maturing rapidly. Overseas leading chipmakers including Qorvo, NXP, STMicroelectronics and Samsung are deepening their development of automotive-grade products. Domestic manufacturers such as Chixin Semiconductor, Unisoc, Calterah and Maxscend are accelerating technological breakthroughs, while solution providers including Desay SV, Zhifou Ruida and QuantiX Technology continue to launch mass-production projects, speeding up the process of domestic substitution.

Industry insiders state that ultrasonic radars and medium/long-range millimeter-wave radars will still retain advantages in segmented scenarios. However, with unique strengths of integrated communication-sensing, high precision, broad compatibility and hardware reusability, UWB will emerge as the mainstream technology for automotive near-field sensing over the next 3–5 years. It will keep disrupting traditional vehicle sensing architectures and drive high-quality upgrading of intelligent vehicle and smart mobility industries.