Autonomous Cars to Begin Testing in Slovakia

Bratislava, 21 March (TASR) - Slovak technology company DiusAi has signed a strategic partnership with Chinese company WeRide, a global leader in autonomous driving technologies, thanks to which autonomous vehicles will begin to be tested in Slovakia via the Elevate Slovakia initiative, DiusAi PR manager Miriam Dinkova announced earlier this week. According to Dinkova, the partnership paves the way for the testing and gradual deployment of autonomous vehicles in Slovakia. The main ambition is to strengthen Slovakia's competitiveness, support the development of its innovation ecosystem and create new opportunities in research, technology and smart mobility. The project is being implemented as part of the Elevate Slovakia initiative, which brings together the public sector, academia and private companies with the aim of creating a safe and regulatory sustainable environment for autonomous transport. The first autonomous vehicles should arrive in Slovakia this spring, with pilot testing planned for the first half of 2026. This will take place in a controlled environment and in line with EU legislation. The pilot stage of the project will begin in Bratislava, later expanding to Kosice and the High Tatra mountains. The long-term objective is to enable fully autonomous driverless vehicles to operate commercially once all legislative and safety requirements have been met. WeRide will deploy its portfolio of autonomous vehicles in Slovakia, including robotaxis, buses, vans and cleaning vehicles, which have the potential to support public transport, parcel logistics and municipal services. The Slovak Transport Ministry, the city of Bratislava, the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Slovak Post Office will participate in the project as well. The Transport Ministry will ensure that the tests are professionally supervised and carried out in a safe and transparent manner and in line with Slovak and EU rules. "I view the signing of the contract as the beginning of a process that will allow Slovakia to test autonomous transport technologies in a responsible and controlled manner. It will enable us to verify the technologies transparently, with state involvement and with an emphasis on the public interest," said Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee). DiusAi will provide financing for the initial pilot projects. It will also act as a technology and implementation partner, responsible for system integration and local operational support. Slovakia is Chinese company WeRide's fourth market in Europe after those of France, Belgium and Switzerland. ko/df/mf