U.S. Lab Quietly Probes Chinese Lidar Sensors for Security Risks as Automakers Remain Silent

The Idaho National Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility, is reportedly testing Chinese-made lidar sensors to determine if they can be hacked, disabled en masse, or used to funnel data back to China, according to TechCrunch. The review, funded by an unnamed group in the electric and autonomous vehicle industry, comes after the Commerce Department explicitly excluded lidar from its January 2025 rule restricting Chinese technology in American vehicles.
Major automakers and tech companies, including $RIVN, $GM, $F, and Uber, told TechCrunch they had no knowledge of the review, while $NVDA and others did not respond. The industry's silence highlights the delicate balance between sourcing cost-effective components and navigating regulatory pressure. For example, $RIVN's CEO suggested in May that the company might use Chinese technology for in-house lidar, a statement the company's CFO walked back weeks later.
Washington is actively tightening restrictions on Chinese lidar manufacturers. The fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act bars the Pentagon from procuring Chinese-made lidar, specifically naming Hesai ($HSAI), while proposed legislation aims to extend similar restrictions to Department of Transportation contracts. Shares of $HSAI closed the week at $19.10, well below their 52-week high of $30.85, suggesting that investors are already pricing in the growing regulatory risk.