Bill Seeks to Phase-Out Chinese Sensors in Self-Driving Cars, Infrastructure

Last year, a think tank advised the United States to ban Chinese lidar from critical and defense sectors because the technology could impact national security.

A lidar sensor on top of an autonomous vehicle developed by Baidu Apollo as it drives along a street in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on July 10, 2022. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S. lawmaker introduced a bill on Dec. 10 to phase out Chinese-made sensors used in critical infrastructure and self-driving cars due to national security concerns.

The Stopping Adversaries From Exploiting LiDAR (SAFE LiDAR) bill, introduced by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), aims to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from “exploiting a fast-growing, strategically critical technology,” according to a statement from the House Select Committee on the CCP.