Bolt, Lucid plan to deploy 25,000 robotaxis in Europe

Estonian ride-hailing company Bolt and American carmaker Lucid have teamed up to deploy up to 25,000 fully autonomous vehicles across multiple European cities. This collaboration aims to bring robotaxis to the region, with regulators keen on keeping pace with the technology. The partnership will leverage Bolt's vast European data and Lucid's software-defined vehicle platform to create an autonomous driving system-ready vehicle platform designed for Level 4 autonomous mobility.

Built on Nvidia's Hyperion, a production-ready AV reference architecture, the platform will be developed by Bolt, who will own and operate the vehicles. The company aims to expand its AV fleet to 100,000 by 2035. Additionally, Bolt will be responsible for product development, commercial operations, vehicle and software requirements, safety, and rider-experience parameters.

They will also build the necessary infrastructure, operating systems, and city partnerships for large-scale deployment. Markus Villig, Bolt's founder and CEO, emphasized that autonomous driving in Europe requires a cohesive system built for European roads and regulations, highlighting Lucid's world-class platform. Meanwhile, Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle unit, plans to introduce driverless robotaxis on German roads by the end of next year, while Uber and Pony AI have announced plans to deploy over 2,000 robotaxis across Europe.

Notably, Uber launched its first European robotaxi service in Croatia last month in partnership with Pony AI and Croatian mobility company Verne, with London deployment beginning earlier this month.