Valeo has garnered recognition for its cutting-edge SCALA 3 LiDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) sensor, securing the coveted CES 2024 Innovation Award in the “Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility” category. This accolade underscores Valeo’s role in advancing LiDAR technology for the automotive industry and bringing it to mass production.
The SCALA 3 marks Valeo’s third-generation LiDAR perception system, delivering an automotive-grade high-resolution LiDAR sensor capable of advanced perception under all conditions, adhering to the highest automotive industry quality and safety standards. Its high-density point cloud and accompanying AI-based perception software enable high-speed autonomous driving on highways across a broader range of conditions, significantly enhancing the value proposition of Level 3 systems by expanding their operational domain and facilitating the scalability of Level 4 robotaxi fleets.
Valeo’s commitment to delivering on its promises has resonated with clients worldwide. Valeo LiDAR powers the only Level 3 passenger cars authorised in Europe, and in March 2023, the company announced orders exceeding EUR 1 billion for the Valeo SCALA 3 over the preceding 18 months. As a global leader in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Valeo holds the distinction of being the first and still remains the premier company in mass-producing automotive LiDAR sensors and perception software for Level 3 autonomous driving.
From January 8 to 12, 2024, Valeo will showcase its award-winning SCALA 3 LiDAR at CES 2024. For the first time, visitors will have the opportunity to experience and gain insights into Valeo’s AI-based perception software and its role in classifying objects identified by the LiDAR in the point cloud.
Marc Vrecko, President of Valeo Comfort and Driving Assistance, remarked, “Valeo was among the first to recognize LiDAR’s pivotal role as the cornerstone of autonomous mobility. We are honoured to receive a CES 2024 Innovation Award that validates our vision and technological leadership. As most automakers strive to bring Level 3 autonomy to market, we stand ready to support them with our industry-leading technology. After over a decade of development and more than five years of production, our LiDAR is already deployed in vehicles worldwide, making significant contributions to enhanced road user safety and marking a significant advancement in the development of automated mobility. Valeo is an active partner in the global innovation landscape and currently the only company capable of offering both exceptional LiDAR technology and the unique ability to produce automotive-grade LiDAR systems at scale.”
While Valeo SCALA 1 and 2 paved the way for conditional autonomous driving in traffic jams, the SCALA 3 revolutionised the operational domain and, consequently, the customer value of private vehicles by expanding its scope of use and supporting higher speeds. Valeo also holds a leadership position in robotaxi equipment, as the SCALA 3 empowers its clients to realise robotaxis on a large scale, leveraging proven, best-in-class technology in mass production.
Employing a laser-based system, Valeo SCALA 3 generates a 3D image of the vehicle’s surroundings, delivering an unparalleled point cloud resolution for an automotive system. With over 12 million pixels per second (48 times that of the SCALA 2) and a detection range of 200 metres for low-reflectivity objects and 300 metres for high-reflectivity objects, it detects objects invisible to the human eye.
In addition to its hardware capabilities, Valeo SCALA 3 is equipped with a suite of software modules, including perception and artificial intelligence algorithms. Its LiDAR functions ensure exceptional safety and reliability through blockage detection, rain and spray detection, online calibration, and misalignment detection. It can identify objects, such as a tire, left on an unlit black asphalt road over 150 metres ahead, offering unparalleled detection performance compared to cameras and radars.
It also identifies, classifies, and tracks objects, providing the vehicle’s fusion system with a comprehensive 3D mapping of the surroundings, ultimately enabling autonomous driving. These software modules are readily integrable into major SoC platforms and operate on dedicated ECUs or domain controllers.
The Valeo SCALA 3 LiDAR is also a finalist for the PACE Award 2023, with the final results to be announced in early 2024. Valeo’s LiDAR technology has garnered numerous accolades, including the SAFETYBEST Award 2023, the ICA Summit Award 2023 in the category of “Automotive Sensor Hardware Solution of the Year” in May 2023, the Pace Award in 2018, and the Frost & Sullivan market leadership Award in 2022.