Quanergy Systems, a provider of optical phase array (OPA)-based solid-state lidar sensors and smart 3D solutions for automotive and IoT applications, reports its successful demonstration of a solid-state lidar sensor using optical phased array (OPA) technology. The sensor also used a scalable CMOS silicon manufacturing process, which the company said supports cost-effective, mass-market production.

The demonstration was conducted in partnership with software-defined electric vehicle (EV) company Zero Electric Vehicles Inc.

For this test, a solid-state lidar test platform with single scanning beam was mounted on a vehicle, along with additional cameras to facilitate visual viewing. The test vehicle followed a target vehicle driving in bright sunlight at a variety of ranges — from a close proximity to a distance of 100 m — while maintaining safety at all times. A target with 10% reflectivity was chosen to simulate very difficult-to-detect objects.

Quanergy’s S3 Series lidar sensor is designed to meet the most stringent automotive requirements for object detection and collision avoidance. The sensor’s unique electronic beam steering without any moving parts offers immunity to shock and vibration, and it is targeting a price of $500 for mass-market production. The S3 Series provides over 100,000 hours MTBF (mean time between failures), Quanergy reported.