American electric vehicle maker Lucid enters the European robotaxi market with Bolt

American electric vehicle maker Lucid and Estonian mobility platform Bolt have entered into a strategic partnership to develop and launch robotaxi services in Europe. Bolt plans to deploy at least 25,000 autonomous Lucid vehicles in several European cities and countries.

The vehicles will be built on Lucid's upcoming mid-size platform. The companies plan to jointly define requirements for the vehicle, software, safety, and passenger interaction. The system is designed for SAE Level 4 autonomy, where the car can operate without a driver in defined conditions and in a specified area.

For the hardware, they plan to use the NVIDIA Hyperion platform, which combines computing systems and sensors for autonomous driving. Meanwhile, the companies have not yet named the software provider that will directly control the robotaxis.

Bolt intends to own and operate the future fleet itself. The company will also be responsible for the necessary infrastructure, operational systems, and agreements with European cities. The partnership will be part of Bolt's broader plan to bring the number of autonomous vehicles on its platform to 100,000 by 2035.

However, the 25,000 vehicles are not yet a firm order. According to TechCrunch, Bolt has not yet placed an order for the vehicles, no money has been transferred between the companies, and there is no specific timeline for the appearance of robotaxis on European roads.

For Lucid, this is not the first major project in the field of autonomous transportation. In the United States, the automaker already collaborates with Uber and autonomous systems developer Nuro. Robotaxi based on the Lucid Gravity crossover is undergoing road tests, with commercial launch expected in the US at the end of 2026.

Sources: Lucid, Engadget, TechCrunch