Stellantis Ventures invests in SteerLight to advance Lidar technology

Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis N.V., has invested in SteerLight, a company that develops advanced Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This investment is expected to improve the performance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving features in future Stellantis vehicles. SteerLight’s Lidar technology utilizes silicon photonics, combining semiconductor material with the speed of photon movement to offer high-resolution, three-dimensional environmental sensing. This technology is anticipated to be more cost-effective than existing Lidar systems.

This development aligns with Stellantis’s Dare Forward 2030 initiative, which aims to integrate cutting-edge technologies that enhance customer value. Ned Curic, Stellantis’s Chief Engineering & Technology Officer, emphasized that improving automated driving capabilities is a key goal for the company and noted that SteerLight’s technology could expand and enhance ADAS features.

François Simoens, co-founder and CEO of SteerLight, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Stellantis, indicating that their Lidar technology could support a range of industrial and mobility applications. SteerLight, a spin-off from the French CEA-Leti technology research institute, uses Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Lidar based on silicon photonics. This system is compact, has no moving parts, and offers precise depth and velocity data with reduced interference.

Since its inception in 2022, Stellantis Ventures has invested in 12 startups and one mobility fund, focusing on technologies that aim to enhance customer experiences and societal outcomes.