By Akash Sriram and Nathan Gomes
July 28 (Reuters) – Teradar has signed a paid development agreement with an unnamed Michigan-based automaker to evaluate its imaging sensors for possible use in future hands-free and automated driving systems, the startup said on Tuesday.
Current radar and lidar sensors can struggle in poor weather, a gap automakers are racing to close as they push toward more advanced hands-free driving systems.
The six-month technical evaluation will test Teradar’s terahertz imaging sensors for future Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems and help shape the automaker’s sensor architecture for vehicles expected around 2030.
The agreement is a development program rather than a production vehicle award, Teradar CEO Matthew Carey said.
This marks Teradar’s second paid automaker development program this quarter, following a previously announced deal with a European automaker.
Detroit automakers are investing more heavily in driver-assistance technology as they seek to close gaps with Tesla and lower-cost Chinese rivals.
General Motors, which offers its Super Cruise hands-free driving system on more than two dozen models, has said it will continue investing in next-generation driver-assistance technologies after shifting resources away from its Cruise robotaxi business.
Teradar says its solid-state terahertz sensors combine lidar’s resolution with radar’s all-weather performance and could eventually replace either technology.
“We’re closing in on our first bids. One will likely go out before the end of this year, and then two in the first quarter,” Carey said, adding the company expects to be ready for production in 2028 through Tier 1 suppliers.
He added that the company expects to raise additional capital within the next six to eight months as it expands automotive development programs and pursues its first production contracts.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
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