Bolt President and Head of Autonomous Driving Jevgeni Kabanov told Reuters that software for the company’s planned Madrid autonomous vehicles will run without an internet connection, citing cybersecurity as the reason.
Reuters also reported that Bolt expects tens of vehicles in the Spanish capital in 2027. Bolt plans to use the initial drives to gather data and improve its system, subject to regulatory approval. Bolt’s and NVIDIA’s announcements give no date for passenger service.
Bolt selected NVIDIA’s Alpamayo Stack for its Madrid program. The Lucid vehicles are planned to carry NVIDIA Hyperion computing and sensors, while Bolt and NVIDIA work to adapt the driving software to European roads.
The Madrid stage forms part of a wider partnership that Bolt and Lucid Group Inc. announced Sept. 17. The companies aim to deploy at least 25,000 autonomous Lucid vehicles across multiple European cities, with no deadline specified for that target. Bolt has a separate goal of 100,000 autonomous vehicles on its platform by 2035.
Lucid said the vehicles will draw on its upcoming Midsize platform. Bolt intends to own and operate the fleet and develop the passenger service and its supporting infrastructure.
Kabanov cited Madrid’s testing rules as a reason for starting there, Reuters reported. Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) requires authorization for automated-vehicle tests on public roads. Bolt says the Madrid data-collection stage remains subject to regulatory approval.
Bolt has identified Germany and France as markets for later deployment, without setting dates for either. Its next stated step is to begin collecting driving data in Madrid in 2027, pending approval.
