The General Directorate of Traffic officialized today the regulatory framework that allows for the circulation of vehicles driving autonomously, in Spain. Volvo will be the first to support the initiative.
Los-driving cars autonomous already have the necessary legal framework to be able to circulate by the public road. This means that the autonomous vehicles as the Google will be able to begin to carry out tests by the Spanish roads.
General Directorate of Traffic has published today a document that describes the requirements that will be necessary for a vehicle of these characteristics is likely to achieve the approval to be able to circulate on the public road, in addition to a classification of vehicles according to their level of automation. The entry into force of this regulation allows Spain to be placed among the top 5 european countries to allow the circulation of autonomous cars on their roads.
This decision could be the fundamental stone on which the technology companies to research and develop these products on the roads of Spain, driving at the same time, the automotive industry and investments. manufacturers of autonomous vehicles, such as laboratories, bodywork, consortia, and up to the universities will be able to participate in this initiative.
The authorizations granted by the government shall have a period of two years, but which may be extended successively for the same period of time. The regulations sets the stretches of road where you will be able to rehearse the technology, as well as the requirements of the vehicle, the owner and the person that run over the same.
The first company to join the initiative will be Volvo, through a collaboration agreement sealed between Volvo Car, the Ministry and the agency of transport of Sweden, the city of Gothenburg and the science park at Lindholmen, under the umbrella of a project that has been named ‘Drive Me’. It is assumed that the two technical centres installed in Spain: the SEAT and the Nissan may also apply to begin with these tests.