Piloting Automated Driving on European Roads

2026-07-22

The overall objective of the L3Pilot project is to test the viability of automated driving (AD) as a safe and efficient means of transportation, exploring and promoting new service concepts to provide inclusive mobility. This high-level objective is detailed as four major technical objectives: (i) create a standardised Europe-wide piloting environment for automated driving (ii) coordinate activities across the piloting community to acquire the required data (iii) pilot, test, and evaluate automated driving functions and connected automation (iv) innovate and promote AD for wider awareness and market introduction. The European automotive sector must remain competitive in vehicle automation in the face of increasing competition from the US and Asia. Only by joining forces in pilot testing and evaluation of AD systems with real users will European industry meet the challenge coming from overseas. The project will focus on large-scale piloting of SAE Level 3 functions, with additional assessment of some Level 4 functions. The functionality of the systems used is exposed to variable conditions in 11 European countries, 100 vehicles and 1000 test drivers. The approach will be to adapt the FESTA methodology for testing automated driving needs. The tested functions cover a wide range from parking to overtaking, and urban intersection driving. Due to its large coverage of driving situations, L3Pilot is unique, and the first project which will demonstrate and test such a comprehensive menu of automated driving functions. The data collected will also be made available for third parties outside the consortium, for further use. The evaluation of the data will focus on technical, user acceptance, driving and travel behaviour, impact on traffic and society. The project promotion will include user outreach campaigns with four showcases, and the creation of a comprehensive guideline - a Code of Practice - with best practices for the development of automated driving functions.

Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Greece, Austria

2026-01-15