If you live in one of the roughly dozen US cities where autonomous vehicles are present, you likely recognize them by their eye-catching, spinning tops. These high-tech flappers are filled with sensors—usually a mix of LiDAR, radar, and cameras—that serve as the eyes and ears for AVs to map the world around them.
But those sensor stacks are often bulky, which can impede a car’s ability to cut through the air around it. That hindrance can force the car to use more energy to speed up and ultimately limit a car’s overall range. In current AVs, aerodynamic considerations can take a backseat to optimal sensor functionality.
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