How does semiconductor refrigeration affect autonomous driving?
San Francisco driverless TAXI first experience
With the popularity of driverless technology around the world, many countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Singapore have begun to try to provide driverless taxi services in different pilots.Today, our colleagues came to San Francisco, USA, where they completed their first experience of driverless TAXI.
First, we booked the ride through the mobile App. A few minutes later, the reserved car arrives at the designated place on time. We can see that the exterior body is equipped with advanced sensor devices, which are key components for environmental awareness and safe driving.Then, we still open the door through the App. After boarding the car, the central control screen displays the welcome message and itinerary overview, just click the "Start itinerary" button on the touch screen, and the vehicle will automatically turn on the driverless mode.
On the way, the large liDAR system placed inside and outside the vehicle begins to play a role: intelligent identification of traffic lights, pedestrians, vehicles and other roadblocks, flexible adjustment of speed and route, to ensure the safety and speed of driving. In addition, in order to enhance the passenger's ride experience, the car is also equipped with comfortable seats and a complete entertainment system.
There is no doubt that this is a safe, convenient and comfortable driverless journey. After the trip, we gave five ⭐ reviews and agreed that driverless taxi services will become the first choice for people to travel.
Government policy promotes the popularization of driverless cars
In China, although similar driverless TAXI pilots have been set up, most commercial driverless technology is still at L2 level (only partially automated). In order to promote technological progress and application popularization, the state has set up autonomous driving test zones and demonstration zones in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities, allowing enterprises to test and run L3 and higher levels of autonomous driving technology in limited areas.
At the same time, the government has also introduced corresponding policy measures. At the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum (2025) at the end of March, Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said:
In the future, we need to speed up the industrialization of autonomous driving, promote the access and on-road pilot of intelligent connected vehicles, improve the standard system, conditionally approve the production access of L3 level autonomous driving models, and promote the improvement of laws and regulations such as road traffic safety insurance.
Note: At level L3, the vehicle can perform all driving tasks on its own within a specific operating design domain. This usually includes scenarios such as highway driving, traffic congestion assistance, and so on. The vehicle is capable of autonomously accelerating, decelerating, steering, changing lanes and responding to changes in the surrounding environment, such as other vehicles, pedestrians and obstacles. Although the vehicle can drive itself in many situations, level L3 still requires that there must be a driver in the vehicle, and the driver needs to be ready to take control of the vehicle at any time.
Semiconductor refrigeration technology helps driverless cars
So how can we accelerate the implementation of L3 and above level of autonomous driving applications? In addition to policy support and infrastructure development, it is most important to address a series of key technological challenges. Among them, the sensor represented by Lidar will generate a lot of heat during the working process, and "how to effectively dissipate heat" has become the key to ensure the stable operation of the entire unmanned system.
In this regard, FerroTec offers reasonable thermal solutions: the application of semiconductor refrigeration technology to sensors such as LiDAR, the following points detail the application advantages of semiconductor refrigeration technology:
01 Compact design for easy integration
Due to space constraints, it is not practical to install large cooling devices in the car. The semiconductor refrigeration sheet is small and compact, and can be easily integrated into the liDAR module.
02 Maintain ideal temperature for increased reliability
The operating performance of liDAR is highly dependent on the temperature stability of its internal laser transmitter and receiver. Temperature change will lead to laser frequency drift and signal noise increase, affecting the measurement accuracy. The semiconductor cooling sheet enables precise temperature control to maintain critical components within a constant ideal operating temperature range, thus ensuring the high accuracy and reliability of the LiDAR.
03 Quick response to prevent local overheating
Compared to traditional air/liquid cooling solutions, the response speed of the semiconductor cooling sheet is faster. It can quickly absorb and transfer heat, prevent local overheating, and ensure that the lidar is always in optimal working condition. This advantage is particularly critical for driverless cars, which need to process large amounts of data in real time.
04 Consistent with the concept of sustainable development
Finally, the technical characteristics of semiconductor refrigeration technology with no pollution and low energy consumption are fully in line with the concept of sustainable development advocated around the world.
The semiconductor refrigeration services provided by FerroTec solve the heat dissipation problem of automotive sensors and provide a reliable guarantee for the safety and intelligence of autonomous driving. With the increasing popularity of driverless applications around the world, FerroTec will continue to be committed to TEC technology and thermal solutions innovation, and make an important contribution to the transformation of future mobility.
