Valeo bags new biz for third-gen LiDAR, crosses billion euros in orders

Valeo, the global leader in ADAS, has announced that its SCALA 3 LiDAR (light detection and ranging) has been chosen by a leading Asian manufacturer and an American robotaxi company. Valeo states that it has now registered orders worth more than a billion euros (Rs 8.788 crore) for SCALA 3.

According to the French component and auto component supplier, SCALA 1 and 2 have helped make conditional autonomous driving in traffic jams a reality. SCALA 3 dramatically increases the domain of operation – and therefore the customer value – of private vehicles thanks to a wider scope of use and higher speed support. Valeo sates that it “is also positioned as a leader in robotaxis equipment as SCALA 3 enables our clients to make robotaxis a reality at scale, using a proven, best-in-class technology in mass production.”

Valeo was the first, and remains the leading company in the production of automotive LiDAR sensors and perception software on an industrial scale. It was in November 2021 that the company had revealed its third-gen LiDAR. 

Marc Vrecko, President of Valeo’s Comfort and Driving Assistance Business Group, said: “With over 10 years of experience in development and five years of production, Valeo’s LiDAR technology is proven to be reliable and protected by more than 575 patents filed. These new orders show that our technology meets the expectations of different markets, being individual cars or robotaxis. But it also confirms our world leader position in the domain with clients in Europe, Asia and North America. We are excited to be working with new partners to bring safer and more automated mobility around the world.“

What is SCALA LiDAR?

Valeo SCALA 3 LiDAR is the perception centrepiece of the next generation of highly automated systems. It will expand the domain of operation of conditionally automated vehicles (Level 3) to wider areas and higher speed (up to 130kph), and make robotaxi (Level 4) deployment at scale possible.

Thanks to its laser-based system, Valeo SCALA 3 generates a 3D image of the vehicle’s surroundings delivering a point cloud of a yet unparalleled resolution for an automotive system. Boasting more than 12 million pixels per second (x16 compared with the SCALA 2) and a detection range of 200 metres for low reflectivity objects and 300 meters for high reflectivity objects, it sees almost everything, especially objects that are invisible to the human eye.

With more than 12 million pixels per second and a detection range of 200 metres for low reflectivity objects and 300 metres for high reflectivity objects, SCALA liDAR 'sees' almost everything, especially objects that are invisible to the human eye.

In addition to its hardware capabilities, SCALA 3 comes with a suite of software modules, including perception and artificial intelligence based algorithms. Its LiDAR functions guarantee unparalleled safety and reliability through blockage detection, rain & spray detection, online calibration or misalignment detection. It can identify objects – such as a tyre – left on an unlit black asphalt road more than 150 metres ahead that neither the driver, cameras nor radars can reliably detect. It finally identifies, classifies and tracks objects, giving the car fusion system the full 3D mapping around the car, and finally making autonomous driving possible. According to Valeo, these software modules can easily be embedded on major SoC platforms and run on dedicated ECUs or domain controllers.

The ADAS market is expected to grow by 17% per year to reach 60 billion euros in 2030, driven by enhancements in safety and comfort. Valeo develops software and the most complete suite of sensors (ultrasonic sensors, cameras, radars, LiDARS) and computing units (domain controllers) that enable the vehicle to make the right decisions.