In a strategic move to shape the future of urban mobility, automotive giant Stellantis and Europe’s leading mobility platform, Bolt, have announced a groundbreaking partnership. The collaboration is set to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 (fully driverless) autonomous vehicles for commercial ride-hailing services across the European continent.

Combining Strengths for a Driverless Future

The alliance leverages the core strengths of both companies. Stellantis will contribute its AV-Ready Platforms™—specifically the eK0 medium van and STLA Small platforms—which are engineered from the ground up for autonomy. These platforms integrate advanced sensor suites, high-performance computing, and critical system redundancies to meet the highest safety standards while optimizing costs for fleet operators.

Bolt brings its massive operational scale and technological expertise, providing services in over 50 countries, including 23 EU member states. The plan is to seamlessly integrate Stellantis’s autonomous vehicles into Bolt’s existing shared mobility app, creating a new, fully driverless ride-hailing option for millions of users.

A Phased Roadmap to Deployment

The partnership follows a clear, responsible timeline focused on safety and scalability:

• 2026: Initial deployment of test vehicles for trials in select European markets.
• 2029: Target for initial production and the beginning of phased commercial rollout.
• 2035: Bolt’s long-term ambition to have 100,000 autonomous vehicles operational on its platform.

This phased approach will progress from prototypes and pilot fleets to a full industrial scale-up, working in close consultation with European regulators on certification, data protection, and cybersecurity.

Strategic Vision and Executive Insight

The partnership is a cornerstone of both companies’ strategic visions for Europe’s mobility landscape.

Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis, highlighted the environmental and experiential benefits: “Autonomous fleets can contribute to a lower carbon footprint by enabling shared and optimized mobility, reducing congestion and emissions. Partnering with Bolt is intended to bring this vision closer to reality.”

Markus Villig, Founder and CEO of Bolt, emphasized the Europe-centric focus: “This partnership brings together two companies who understand the specific dynamics of operating in Europe. We plan to create the best autonomous vehicle offering that is tailored for European needs, in line with European standards.”

Driving Europe’s Autonomous Mobility Forward

This collaboration between a global automaker and a dominant mobility platform signals a major acceleration in the real-world application of autonomous technology in Europe. It directly supports broader goals of reducing urban congestion, lowering emissions through shared electric mobility, and setting a new global benchmark for the safe, scalable deployment of driverless transportation.