Quanergy presents OPA-based solid state LiDAR with 100m range

04 Aug 2021

Demonstration was conducted in partnership with Zero Electric Vehicle company.

Quanergy Systems, a Sunnyvale, Ca-based developer of OPA-based solid state LiDAR sensors and smart 3D solutions for automotive and IoT, has announced the successful driving demonstration of its S3 Series LiDAR, a solid state LiDAR sensor using an Optical Phased Array (OPA) technology and a scalable CMOS silicon manufacturing process that could allow mass-market production.

The demonstration was conducted in partnership with Zero Electric Vehicle (ZEV), a company that provides fleet electrification and EV platforms for companies looking to maximize their existing assets while transitioning to electric transport.

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 meters–while maintaining safety at all times. A target with 10% reflectivity was chosen to simulate very difficult-to-detect objects.

‘Significant improvement’

“Quanergy’s CMOS-based OPA technology has demonstrated significant improvement towards its adoption in long range automotive applications,” said Jim Maury, President at ZEV. “We believe Quanergy’s OPA technology provides a highly reliable and cost-effective 3D LiDAR solution that is critically important for the automotive industry.”

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. The S3 Series provides over 100,000 hours MTBF (mean time between failures), and it is targeting a price of $500 for mass-market production.

“We are very excited about this industry-first demonstration of 100-meter range achieved in full daylight with Quanergy’s OPA-based solid-state technology,” said Dr. Tianyue Yu, Quanergy Co-founder and Chief Development Officer. “Our team is now working towards even more aggressive performance targets, including longer range, increased vertical field of view and data rate.”

In addition to advancing the OPA technology for automotive applications, Quanergy is quickly expanding its reach and bringing Smart LiDAR solutions to many IoT applications. In addition to the strategic partnership with Sensata, Quanergy’s recent commercial IoT deployments include the:

• Selection by PARIFEX as exclusive supplier of long-range 3D LiDAR for highway speed detection and enforcement in France
• First V2X (vehicle to everything) Smart City deployment in Korea
• Adoption by Puxiang BioEnergy to optimize recycling processes and reduce environmental impact in China

In June, 2021, Quanergy entered into a definitive merger agreement with CITIC Capital Acquisition. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named Quanergy Systems, Inc. and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “QNGY.” The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.