Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis N.V., has made an investment in SteerLight, a company specializing in the development of advanced Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This new technology is expected to enhance the performance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including automated driving, in future Stellantis brand vehicles. Utilizing silicon photonics, which merges semiconductor material with the rapidity of photon movement, SteerLight’s Lidar system promises to deliver three-dimensional environmental sensing with greater resolution and precision. Additionally, it aims to do so at a lower production cost compared to existing Lidar technologies.
The innovation from SteerLight aligns with Stellantis’s Dare Forward 2030 initiative, which focuses on integrating groundbreaking technologies that provide significant value to customers. According to Ned Curic, Stellantis’s Chief Engineering & Technology Officer, enhancing automated driving capabilities is a primary objective for the company. He believes SteerLight’s work could enable more extensive and improved ADAS features.
François Simoens, co-founder and CEO of SteerLight, expressed optimism about the partnership with Stellantis, highlighting the potential for their Lidar technology to facilitate widespread industrial and mobility applications. SteerLight, originating as a spinoff from the French CEA-Leti technology research institute, employs Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Lidar based on silicon photonics technology. This innovation leads to a system that is not only compact and devoid of moving parts, enhancing durability, but also capable of providing precise depth and velocity data while minimizing interference.
Since its foundation in 2022, Stellantis Ventures has invested in a total of 12 startups and one mobility fund, focusing on the development of technologies aimed at improving customer experiences and societal outcomes.
