Italy Pioneers Self-Driving Car Sharing Test in Brescia

By Giancarlo Navach and Cristina Carlevaro

BRESCIA, Italy (Reuters) - Italy hosted a pioneering test of a self-driving vehicle designed for car sharing as part of a project carried out by utility A2A in the northern city of Brescia, A2A and its partners said on Wednesday.

A Stellantis' electric FIAT 500 city car left the charging station, drove one kilometre at a maximum speed of 30 km/h in fully autonomous driving mode and stopped at a parking area, simulating the experience of carrying a customer.

The organisers said it was the first such test of its kind in Europe.

Each test will be monitored by a supervisor onboard the vehicle and a control room. A safety car will accompany the vehicles in traffic to warn road users that autonomous driving is being tested on public roads.

The self-driving car is also capable of charging autonomously without human intervention using charging stations provided by A2A.

A2A's project, in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano university and Italy's National Sustainable Mobility Centre, aims to contribute to decarbonising cities, traffic reduction and environmental sustainability, A2A CEO Renato Mazzoncini said.

"Europe cannot lag behind China and the United States, we expect a commitment at a European level after this experimental phase," said Mazzoncini.

The experimental phase will last until November, with tests scheduled once or twice a month. The test area covers a large part of Brescia, including the historic centre and neighbouring districts.

In order to move from an experimental phase to a real use of self-driving in car sharing "we need to remove the requirement for a safety driver in the car, which is allowed by European legislation," said Matteo Sergio Savaresi of Politecnico.

(Editing by Keith Weir)