Turin aims to become a European reference center for the experimentation of autonomous vehicles. The mayor Stefano Lo Russo and the president of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio presented the dossier to the European Commission during a meeting with Roberto Viola, held in Brussels in December. The goal is to activate by 2027 a public urban mobility service based on taxis and robotic shuttles, inspired by the experiences already underway in cities such as San Francisco and Denver.

The proposal is based on initiatives already operational in the area. These include the electric and autonomous AuToMove shuttle, circulating within the university campus as part of the ToMove Living Lab, which has the authorizations issued by Sperimentazione Italia to carry out tests on sections of road open to public traffic. As underlined by President Cirio: “Turin has all the characteristics to become the European laboratory of autonomous driving. We can be, as early as 2027, a city like San Francisco or Denver, equipped with a driverless public service”.

Mayor Lo Russo remarked on the strategic role of the city: “We are a laboratory where the future is experimented thanks to the ability to combine manufacturing vocation and innovation. With a unique automotive heritage and a cutting-edge ecosystem, we can become the European benchmark for AI applied to autonomous driving.”

Thanks to the presence of research centres of excellence, a highly specialised supply chain and a strong attraction of investments, Turin is thus a candidate to become the first Italian municipality with an autonomous public service, as well as one of the most advanced European cities on the path towards smart mobility integrated into urban life.