Valeo showcases lidar advances at CES

PARIS -- Valeo is focusing on driver assistance and self-driving technology at CES 2022, including two new lidar systems.

The annual consumer-electronics showcase in Las Vegas has been scaled back this year because of a new COVID-19 surge, but it has become the main venue for new automotive-technology debuts.

Paris-based Valeo is one of the largest suppliers of lidar, which scans the road ahead with laser pulses to create a detailed image map for self-driving and advanced driver assistance systems. Most automakers plan to combine lidar, radar and cameras to enable true self-driving vehicles.  

Cost has been the main barrier for adoption, but traditional suppliers and startups are working to make lidar more affordable, and are developing long-range systems that can “see” the road hundreds of meters ahead, even in bad weather.

Valeo on Tuesday announced five major launches at CES:

• A third generation of long-range scanning lidar, which it says will help enable self-driving up to 80 mph on highways by revealing objects 220 yards ahead or more. A market debut is set for 2024.
• At the same time, Valeo showed a new near-field lidar system that creates a 360-degree view of nearby objects and hazards, including those concealed by the vehicle’s blind spots. 
• For infotainment displays, Valeo has created VoyageXR Panorama, imaging technology that shows a “drone’s eye view” of the vehicle on a digital screen. Connectivity allows remote users to access the 3D image and change the perspective. It can also help drivers with parking and other low-speed maneuvers.
• Safe Insight, a sophisticated warning system that monitors the driver, rear-seat passengers and whether a child has been left behind in a parked car. Other interior innovations include Odor Free, which diffuses a “white fragrance” to cancel unwanted odors, and a COVID-19 detection system that monitors a passenger’s biometrics with sensors to warn of possible infection.
• A small electric motorcycle with a 48-volt powertrain that weighs 37 pounds, which Valeo says is comparable to a 125 cc internal combustion model. The prototype is aimed at Asian markets where high-polluting two-stroke engines are still popular. The 48-volt electric motor has also been integrated into bicycles that will go into production in 2022.

Valeo ranks No.10 on the Automotive News list of top 100 global suppliers, with automotive sales of $16.94 billion in 2020. It is the fifth-largest Europe-based supplier.