Valeo secured two new orders for its SCALA 3 lidar from an Asian manufacturer and a leading US robo-taxi company. The SCALA 1 and 2 lidar had made conditional autonomous driving in traffic jams a reality. SCALA 3 significantly increases the operation domain of private vehicles due to a wider scope of use and higher speed support.
Valeo is emerging as a key player in robo-taxis equipment, as SCALA 3 enables its clients to make robo-taxis a reality at scale by using a proven, best-in-class technology in mass production. The total order size of SCALA lidar now touches over €1 billion, the company said in a press release dated March 30.
Significance: Valeo SCALA 3 lidar is a key product of next-generation highly automated systems. It will expand the operation domain of Level 3 conditionally automated vehicles to wider areas and higher speeds (up to 130 kph) and enable Level 4 robo-taxi deployment at scale. Valeo is among the leading players in the production of automotive lidar sensors and perception software on an industrial scale.
Valeo SCALA 3 generates a 3D image of the vehicle’s surroundings, delivering a point cloud of an unparalleled resolution for an automotive system. With more than 12 million pixels per second (more than 16 times compared with the SCALA 2) and a detection range of 200 meters for low reflectivity objects and 300 meters for high reflectivity objects, it sees almost everything, especially objects that are invisible to the human eye.
Marc Vrecko, president of Valeo’s Comfort and Driving Assistance Business Group said, “With over 10 years of experience in development and 5 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 robo-taxis. 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.”
