US government lab is probing Chinese lidar for security vulnerabilities

A Department of Energy lab is investigating whether Chinese lidar sensors might pose a security risk if they become widely used on vehicles in the United States, TechCrunch has learned.

The review is being performed by the Idaho National Laboratory, according to two people familiar with the effort, who were granted anonymity to discuss it. The lab has said the research is being funded by a company — or a group of companies — in the electric and autonomous vehicle industries, the sources told TechCrunch.

It’s not immediately clear which companies are supporting the review. Representatives for Rivian, General Motors, Ford, Kodiak, Lucid Motors, Nuro, and Uber — companies that are reported to be considering Chinese lidar — told TechCrunch they weren’t aware of the review. Nvidia, Zoox, and Aurora didn’t respond to questions about whether they are involved.

Idaho National Laboratory declined to comment on the review. A spokesperson told TechCrunch in June, and again in July, that “this isn’t a project that we’re at liberty to discuss with reporters.” China’s leading lidar suppliers, Hesai and RoboSense, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a sensor technology that uses laser pulses to measure the distance to nearby objects. It has long been a popular tool for companies working on autonomous vehicles because it offers a high-resolution picture of a self-driving car’s immediate surroundings.

The review is underway as pressure mounts to ban the use of Chinese lidar sensors on American roads, with lawmakers crafting multiple bills.

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who is spearheading the Securing Infrastructure from Adversaries Act with Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), told TechCrunch in a statement that she’s primarily concerned about Chinese lidar being used for military or industrial espionage.

“As infrastructure becomes more sophisticated, the threat Chinese LiDAR technology poses to American communities and our national security cannot be allowed to go unchecked,” she said. “We need to be doing more to protect Americans and that starts with ensuring taxpayer dollars aren’t being used to purchase technologies that could be used to spy on us.”

Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI), who is co-sponsoring a different bill aimed at banning the use of Chinese lidar, told CNBC last month that he’s concerned “back doors” could “transmit information back to these Chinese Communist interests.”