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Finland clears Bliq.ai for driverless road tests
Bliq.ai can now run its driverless vehicles on public roads in Finland, starting in Helsinki with a safety driver during winter testing.
Image: TNW
Bliq.ai has secured approval to operate its Bliq Driverless vehicles on public roads in Finland, giving the startup its second EU market after Estonia, which granted approval in May. The permit takes effect immediately, with testing set to begin shortly in Helsinki.
For now, the company will keep a safety driver onboard. The first phase will run through the Nordic winter, a deliberate choice as Bliq tries to validate its system in one of Europe’s toughest driving environments.
“This approval brings us closer to making driverless mobility part of everyday life across Europe,” said Julian Glaab, Bliq’s chief executive and co-founder.
The Helsinki rollout will be led by Erik Safonov, who already oversees the company’s operations across the Baltics.
Bliq is taking a different approach from many self-driving companies. Rather than building its own vehicles, it equips existing software-defined vehicles with a sensor and compute kit designed to make them driverless. Its current setup combines AI-based Level 2 driving with remote human supervision, allowing a person to intervene from a distance if needed.
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The company’s argument is that autonomy should extend beyond dedicated robotaxi fleets and into vehicles already used by people and businesses. In Estonia, where Bliq received fully driverless approval in May, it says it operates the largest driverless fleet in Europe, with about a dozen vehicles.
Europe’s progress on autonomy has been incremental. Belgium hosted Europe’s first Level 4 highway test. Baidu’s Apollo Go won Level 4 approval in Switzerland. Verne launched a Pony.ai robotaxi service in Zagreb. Against that backdrop, Finland adds another approval to a market that has moved carefully under increasingly strict EU vehicle rules.
Bliq’s next target is Germany, where the company was founded.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TNW
