Key Points
- A new U.S. bill aims to phase out Chinese-made lidar sensors from self-driving cars and infrastructure.
- The main concern is a national security risk that the sensors could be hacked and disabled from space.
- Chinese firms currently dominate the global market for this critical technology, accounting for over 90%.
- The Pentagon has already flagged the world’s largest lidar maker, Hesai Group, for its alleged ties to the Chinese military.
A U.S. lawmaker is pushing to phase out Chinese-made sensors used in self-driving cars and critical infrastructure, warning that they could be hacked and disabled from space during a conflict. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, introduced a bill this week that directly targets the growing dominance of Chinese technology in a crucial sector.
The bill focuses on lidar, a technology that uses lasers to give self-driving vehicles a 3D view of the road. It’s also used in vital systems, such as automated port cranes. The problem, lawmakers say, is that Chinese companies now dominate the global market, accounting for nearly 90% of all lidar sales. U.S. firms are struggling to compete.
National security experts are sounding the alarm. They warn that China could disable these sensors across the U.S. in seconds from space, effectively paralyzing transportation and logistics.
“We don’t need a Huawei-on-wheels moment,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, referencing the security battle over the Chinese telecom giant.
The concerns are serious enough that the Pentagon has already added the world’s largest lidar maker, China’s Hesai Group, to a list of companies it alleges help the Chinese military.
If passed, Krishnamoorthi’s bill would ban new purchases of Chinese lidar after three years and provide a five-year transition period for existing equipment in critical infrastructure. “America and our allies should lead in LiDAR innovation,” Krishnamoorthi said, “not cede control of this critical technology to foreign adversaries.”
