Bolt, Stellantis, Pony.ai to launch autonomous vehicle test program in Luxembourg

June 8 (Reuters) - Estonian vehicle sharing platform Bolt will launch its first autonomous mobility test program in Luxembourg in collaboration with carmaker Stellantis and Chinese robotaxi operator Pony.ai, the companies said on Monday. 

• The announcement followed a joint declaration of intent signed by 18 European Union member states on large-scale cross-border tests for autonomous vehicles under the European Automotive Action Plan.

• Their pilot program will focus on validating the safety, performance and regulatory readiness of Pony.ai’s autonomous vehicles in Luxembourg's traffic environment, the companies said.

• Stellantis will contribute a mid-size van based on its L4-Ready platform, they added.

• The three companies aim to achieve driverless operational readiness by the end of the pilot program.

• The race to introduce autonomous vehicles across Europe has been intensifying, with automakers such as Tesla and Mercedes, along with ride-hailing platforms like Uber, ramping up efforts to launch self-driving services.

(Reporting by Emanuele Berro; editing by Jonathan Ananda)