Photo: Shutterstock The next ride you book on the app could look completely different: Bolt and electric vehicle maker Lucid have announced a joint plan to develop and operate autonomous taxis in Europe.
Bolt aims to deploy at least 25,000 driverless vehicles in several cities and countries on the continent.
According to the companies' joint announcement, the taxis will be based on Lucid's future vehicle platform. The companies will work together on adapting the vehicle for autonomous travel, on safety systems and on the passenger experience. Bolt plans to establish the infrastructure required to operate the vehicle fleet and work with authorities and regulators in Europe.
Bolt/ ShutterstockThe technological goal is Level 4 autonomous driving: driverless driving under the conditions and areas where the system will be approved to operate.
The companies indicate that they expect to rely on the NVIDIA Hyperion platform in developing the system.
Bolt already operates in hundreds of cities around the world, but the new move is still in the planning and development stages. The companies have not announced when such a ride-hailing service will be available, in which cities it will launch, or how much it will cost. Until then, 25,000 taxis is Bolt's goal, not a fleet already on the streets of Europe.