Moderation Team
Ridesharing platform Bolt, along with autonomous vehicle technology firm Pony.ai and automotive conglomerate Stellantis, have announced the launch of a autonomous vehicle pilot program which will take place in Luxembourg.
The program will focus on validating Pony.ai’s seventh-generation autonomous vehicle technology within Luxembourg’s traffic environment. Testing will be conducted using a mid-size van from Stellantis’ lineup, built on its L4-ready platform, and the program will permit Level 4 autonomy operation. At this level, the vehicle can travel without human intervention, though it remains geofenced and restricted to a predefined set of roads. Level 5 autonomy, the highest classification, would remove these geographic constraints entirely, enabling a vehicle to travel autonomously on any road.
This will be the first autonomous mobility pilot undertaken by Bolt, and comes as rival ridesharing platforms such as Uber are readying up to launch commercial robotaxi services elsewhere in Europe. By the end of the pilot program, the trio hope to achieve driverless readiness.
Markus Villig, Founder and CEO of Bolt, commented:
“Autonomous mobility technology is already transforming transportation around the world, and as the only independent, European-founded ride-hailing platform competing globally, we want to be at the forefront of scaling this revolutionary technology in Europe. We welcome Luxembourg’s progressive approach to testing this technology and we are excited to work closely with our European partner Stellantis, and global software leader Pony.ai to launch further pilots in the future.”
Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said:
“Luxembourg’s forward-looking regulatory environment provides a strong foundation for autonomous mobility testing in Europe. Together with Bolt and Stellantis, we look forward to validating Pony.ai’s technology in local traffic scenarios and supporting the responsible development of autonomous mobility across the region.”
Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer at Stellantis, added:
“Autonomous mobility can make transportation more accessible and affordable for customers. At Stellantis, our L4-Ready Platforms™ are designed to deliver flexible, scalable solutions across multiple vehicle segments. By working with partners like Bolt and Pony.ai, we aim to bring driverless mobility into everyday life in a way that is safe, efficient and easy to use.”
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