The Stellantis concern, one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, under whose umbrella are brands such as Maserati, Chrysler, Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and Jeep, has agreed a strategic partnership with the Bolt mobility platform, with the aim of jointly researching the development and application of level 4 (driverless) autonomous vehicles for commercial use across Europe. The announcement follows Bolt’s recently announced collaboration with software company Pony.ai, a provider of autonomous driving systems.
Pilot project 2026.
By uniting, therefore, Stellantis’ hardware expertise in vehicle production, Pony.ai’s autonomous driving software, and Bolt’s technological and operational platform, the three partners are creating one of the first commercial robot taxi service operators in Europe. As early as next year, Bolt will begin laying the groundwork and conducting initial tests in selected European cities. Their goal is to have 100,000 robot taxis on the roads by 2035.
The collaboration will bring together Stellantis’ “AV-Ready” platforms built for widespread deployment of Level 4 autonomy, with advanced computing systems, flexible design and cutting-edge sensors – notably the eK0 medium-sized platform and the STLA small platform – with Bolt’s vehicle rental platform.
Series production 2029.
The companies plan to start introducing test vehicles for pilot projects in European countries, with a strong focus on building a service that provides the highest standards of safety and performance in Europe. The roll-out will take place gradually – from prototypes and pilot fleets to progressive industrial expansion – with an initial target of production in 2029. Both parties will work closely with European regulators to support a responsible approach to testing, certification and scalable deployment, in full compliance with applicable security, data protection and cyber security standards, it was announced this week.
Bolt currently provides on-demand transportation services in more than 50 countries, including Croatia, and plans to integrate Stellantis’ autonomous vehicles into its shared mobility platform to enable a fully autonomous driverless transportation service. In partnership with Stellantis, they plan to provide comprehensive, full-stack solution in the field of autonomous driving.