Stellantis Ventures invests in SteerLight to enhance automotive safety and performance
Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of global automaker Stellantis N.V., has announced a significant investment in SteerLight, a pioneering developer of a new generation of high-performance LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This investment marks a pivotal step forward in the integration of advanced sensing technology into the automotive industry, promising to revolutionize safety and performance features in future vehicles.
SteerLight’s innovative LiDAR technology leverages silicon photonics, merging the ubiquity of semiconductor materials with the speed of photons to sense the surrounding environment in three dimensions. This advancement offers higher resolution and precision at significantly lower production costs than existing LiDAR systems, positioning SteerLight at the forefront of automotive safety technology. The company’s LiDAR systems are poised to significantly enhance Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), including automated driving capabilities, in Stellantis brand vehicles.
Ned Curic, Chief Engineering & Technology Officer at Stellantis, highlighted the alignment of SteerLight’s technology with the company’s Dare Forward 2030 initiatives. Curic emphasized the importance of automated driving enhancements and the potential of SteerLight’s technology to facilitate widespread application of ADAS features, aiming to deliver unparalleled value to customers.
François Simoens, Co-founder and CEO of SteerLight, expressed enthusiasm about the recognition from Stellantis Ventures, which underscores the potential for large-scale adoption of LiDAR technology in industrial and mobility applications. SteerLight, a spinoff from the esteemed French CEA-Leti technology research center, utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR based on silicon photonics. This technology offers a robust, compact solution with no moving parts, overcoming traditional LiDAR challenges such as size and cost. It provides highly accurate depth and velocity data, resistant to environmental interference.
Since its launch in 2022, Stellantis Ventures has invested in 12 startups and one mobility fund, focusing on developing technologies that promise to improve outcomes for customers and society. This investment in SteerLight underscores Stellantis’s commitment to fostering innovation and shaping the future of the automotive industry.