Insider Brief
- France’s transport ministry outlined autonomous vehicle priorities at the Assises du véhicule autonome, pairing a first-half 2027 homologation doctrine with same-day industry and city announcements.
- Delivery robots have been legal on French roads since Aug. 7, and Île-de-France Mobilités plans a public autonomous transit pilot starting in early 2028.
- Stellantis is working with Wayve and Nvidia on France-focused deployment, while Métropole du Grand Paris with Bolt and Clichy with G7 and Milla each announced ADACities pilot bids still awaiting European Commission selection.
France’s transport ministry says it will publish an autonomous vehicle homologation doctrine in the first half of 2027 and used the Assises du véhicule autonome to present that calendar to industry, cities and unions as Stellantis, Wayve, Nvidia and local partners announced deployment plans the same day.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told about 250 participants the government wants autonomous vehicles to improve road safety, fill gaps in poorly served areas and strengthen French and European technology sovereignty, according to the ministry.
The doctrine, drafted under the national vehicle type-approval center, will use step-by-step validation and ongoing safety monitoring so manufacturers know the operational requirements and timeline. The ministry also pointed to EU harmonization work through the Pact for Europe transport-authority coalition, launched in Paris on Oct. 7, and a “site-test” authorization initiative that now has 22 signatories.
Delivery robots and vehicles have been allowed on French roads since Aug. 7 and the ministry said it will next work with the Interior Ministry and local governments on rules for small robots on sidewalks and in pedestrian zones.
The ministry also plans a single government contact point to simplify administrative procedures and assist project developers. France said it wants projects built around European industrial partnerships, appropriate control over software functions and European data kept in Europe, with France 2030 funding available across the value chain.
Wayve-Stellantis-Nvidia Collaboration
London-based Wayve announced it is collaborating with Stellantis and Nvidia to advance autonomous vehicle deployment in France and across the EU. According to Wayve, the work combines Stellantis L4-Ready Platforms with the Wayve AI Driver running Nvidia Halos OS on Nvidia Hyperion compute and sensor hardware. Wayve did not inlcude details on the timing, fleet size and commercial terms.
Bolt & Stellantis
Separately, Métropole du Grand Paris, Bolt and Stellantis proposed the Greater Paris Autonomous Driving Living Lab under the European Commission’s ADACities program. Their Stellantis release said a pilot could start from 2028 in as many as five communes in the northwest Grand Paris area, with an ambition to reach about 30 communes and commercial operation by 2030 if authorized. Bolt would run service integration through Bolt Autonomous Driving Solutions. Stellantis would supply L4-Ready vehicles, and Pony.ai is named as a potential autonomy technology provider on Nvidia Hyperion and Halos. The ADACities bid is still awaiting selection.
G7 & Milla Robotaxi Collaboration
The city of Clichy announced a separate ADACities application with French taxi operator G7 and autonomous-vehicle maker Milla for electric robotaxis for first- and last-mile trips to transit and door-to-door rides for older residents, the city said. A professional taxi driver would stay aboard at first. Clichy said the service could grow from a small local fleet to as many as 100 vehicles by 2030, with possible extension to neighboring communes and La Défense. That application is also pending European Commission selection.
Île-de-France Mobilités separately decided to launch what the ministry called the region’s first real autonomous public passenger service, with a pilot from early 2028 around Versailles Grand Parc, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Paris-Saclay and progressive expansion from 2030.
