Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 9, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleStellantis and Bolt will start driverless vehicle trials in Europe by 2026, focusing on Level 4 automation and safety compliance.
Dec 9 (Reuters) - Carmaker Stellantis is teaming up with Estonia-based ride-hailing platform Bolt to deploy driverless vehicles across Europe, with plans to begin on-road trials in 2026, the companies said on Tuesday.
The collaboration will integrate Stellantis' purpose-built autonomous vehicle platforms with Bolt's ride-hailing network, which serves more than 200 million customers in over 50 countries, including 23 member states of the European Union.
Deployment will be phased from prototypes and pilot fleets to progressive industrial scale-up, with an initial production target in 2029, the joint statement said.
The companies will work closely with European regulators to ensure the technology meets regional safety, cybersecurity and data protection standards, they added.
Under the partnership, Stellantis will provide its "AV-Ready Platforms", specifically the eK0 medium-sized van and its STLA Small platform, which are engineered for Level 4 autonomous driving. This level of automation means the vehicle can operate without a human driver under specific conditions.
The Franco-Italian-American carmaker had shelved its first Level 3 advanced driver-assistance programme in August because of high costs, technological challenges and concerns about consumer appetite.
(Reporting by Romolo Tosiani in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
An autonomous vehicle is a car or truck that is capable of navigating and driving itself without human intervention, using a combination of sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence.
Ride-hailing is a transportation service where passengers use an app to request a ride from a driver in a vehicle, typically for a fee, often provided by companies like Uber or Bolt.
Regulatory compliance refers to the process of ensuring that a company adheres to laws, regulations, guidelines, and specifications relevant to its business operations.
A partnership in business is a formal arrangement where two or more parties agree to collaborate and share resources, profits, and responsibilities in a venture.
A prototype is an early sample or model of a product used to test a concept or process, allowing for evaluation and improvements before full-scale production.
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