Robotaxis for Europe: Bolt partners with Pony.ai for Level 4 technology
Estonian mobility provider Bolt has announced a partnership with Pony.ai to bring Level 4 autonomous driving to Europe.
Bolt wants to bring robotaxis to Europe together with Pony.ai.
(Image: Bolt)
While autonomous driving services are already in full swing in the USA and China, Europe is still quiet in this area. That is set to change soon. The Estonian ride-hailing provider Bolt has teamed up with the Chinese developer of autonomous driving systems, Pony.ai. Bolt wants to bring the company's Level 4 technology to Europe and make it part of the ride-hailing mobility ecosystem.
Tests from 2026
As Bolt writes in its announcement, the company plans a multi-phase rollout: In the first phase, which according to Markus Villig, founder and CEO of Bolt, is scheduled to begin in 2026, the provider will focus on "real-world testing, safety validation, and experience design." With this, Bolt is "laying the groundwork for fully autonomous, driverless operation." Regular operation is then scheduled to begin a year later.
Bolt has not yet revealed in which European country it intends to deploy the autonomous vehicles first. It only states: "The target cities for the initial deployments are located in both EU member states and European non-EU countries."
Villig said in the announcement: "Autonomous vehicles will fundamentally change the way people and goods move." Bolt's goal is to be one of the first platforms to offer fully driverless autonomous vehicles in the EU.
Bolt wants to know
The company is convinced that as the only independent ride-hailing platform founded in Europe, it is "uniquely positioned" to "responsibly and efficiently scale autonomous vehicles, in full compliance with European safety and data standards."
Bolt further states: "By combining Pony.ai's technology with our regulatory expertise and broad European presence, the partnership will further strengthen the adoption of autonomous driving technology across the continent."
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Pony.ai also cooperates with Stellantis
In addition to the partnership with Bolt, Pony.ai has further plans in Europe: In October, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Stellantis. The two intend to jointly develop autonomous vehicles to SAE Level 4. The initial focus will be on fully electric, mid-size vans that are ideally suited as robotaxis. Stellantis aims to accelerate the development and deployment of robotaxi solutions in Europe.
Pony.ai already has extensive expertise in autonomous driving: The company operates fully driverless robotaxi services in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen in China. According to its own statements, it has a fleet of 961 robotaxis, with the goal of reaching 1000 vehicles by the end of the year.
Will 2026 be the year of robotaxis in Europe?
In addition to Pony.ai and its partners, other companies also see the time as ripe for the advent of robotaxis in Europe. US market leader Waymo, for example, plans to offer Robotaxis in London in 2026. Lyft, together with Baidu, also plans to offer robotaxis in Germany, among other countries. Uber also wants to test fully driverless cars in Germany. The US ride-hailing provider relies on the technology of the Chinese software company Momenta. "Germany has shaped the global automotive industry for over a century, and now Munich will help shape the future with autonomous vehicles," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber.
Volkswagen has also been testing autonomous vehicles in Germany for several years and recently announced that it will offer its own robotaxi service, initially in Hamburg, in 2026.
(afl)
