Bolt partners with Stellantis for autonomous driving
New partnerships in the field of autonomous driving are announced almost every week. Most of these collaborations focus on robotaxi solutions—self-driving vehicles that can be summoned via ride-hailing apps. For example, Uber and Momenta plan to test robotaxis in Munich next year, while Uber’s rival Lyft has announced that it will offer autonomous vehicles from Baidu subsidiary Apollo Go on its platform in select European markets from 2026.
The Estonian mobility platform Bolt, which operates a ride-hailing service in numerous European cities and has become a key European rival to Uber, also aims to integrate robotaxis into its offering. To this end, Bolt announced a partnership with Chinese robotaxi specialist Pony.ai in late November to bring such autonomous mobility services to Europe. However, the announcement nearly two weeks ago did not specify the manufacturer of the autonomous vehicles involved in the partnership.
Stellantis already collaborates with Pony.ai
The automaker Stellantis, which includes brands such as Fiat, Opel, and Peugeot, has now announced a cooperation with Bolt for Level 4 autonomous driving. As Stellantis also revealed a partnership with Pony.ai for robotaxis in Europe in October, it is likely that a three-way alliance between Bolt, Pony.ai, and Stellantis for the European market is taking shape, though this has not yet been confirmed.
In any case, the collaboration aims to combine Stellantis’ AV-ready platforms, particularly for the mid-sized eK0 van and the STLA Small platform, with Bolt’s extensive mobility network, which offers ride-hailing services in over 50 countries, including 23 EU member states. According to the October announcement, Stellantis also plans to integrate Pony.ai’s autonomous driving technology into these AV-ready platforms.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said: “Our AV-Ready Platforms™ are designed for maximum flexibility, so we can deliver the best possible experience for European customers. Autonomous fleets can also contribute to a lower carbon footprint by enabling a shared and optimized mobility, reducing congestion and emissions. Partnering with Bolt is intended to bring this vision closer to reality, combining our engineering expertise with their operational reach in the hopes of making driverless mobility a trusted part of everyday life in Europe.”
100,000 autonomous vehicles by 2035
Bolt aims to have around 100,000 autonomous vehicles available on its platform by 2035, with vehicles from Stellantis expected to play a major role. Both companies plan to begin deploying test vehicles in Europe in 2026, followed by larger pilot fleets. The partners aim to scale the initiative industrially from 2029 onwards.
Markus Villig, founder and CEO of Bolt, stated: “This partnership brings together two companies who understand the specific dynamics of operating in Europe. By combining Stellantis’ AV-Ready Platforms™ and our operational expertise, we plan to create the best autonomous vehicle offering that is tailored for European needs, in line with European standards, that millions of people will be able to use.”
This article was first published by Florian Treiß for electrive’s German edition.
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