Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by VTI – the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute – for VTI aktuellt, their magazine covering research and developments across the transportation sector.

The interview focused on a topic that is becoming increasingly relevant not only in Silicon Valley, but also in Europe: robotaxis and the future of autonomous mobility.

Together with my colleague Ingrid Skogsmo at VTI, I have been studying the development of robotaxi services in the U.S. and China. We have also had the opportunity to experience these services firsthand, including rides in autonomous vehicles in San Francisco and Beijing. These experiences provide an interesting perspective on what is already possible today—and, perhaps more importantly, on what Europe needs to consider before large-scale deployment arrives.

One of the key challenges is that the robotaxi market is still relatively young. We simply don’t yet have enough real-world data to draw definitive conclusions about how autonomous taxi fleets will affect travel patterns, emissions, traffic safety, congestion, and the transportation system as a whole.

That means Europe has an opportunity to learn from the places where robotaxis are already operating.

My main message in the interview was that cities and policymakers should not wait until robotaxi companies are literally at their doorstep. They should start preparing now.

That preparation begins with a fundamental question: What do we actually want robotaxis to achieve?

If the objective is to reduce congestion, improve accessibility, complement public transportation, or provide mobility in areas that are difficult to serve today, then those goals should shape how the technology is introduced. Simply adding large numbers of autonomous vehicles to existing traffic does not automatically create a better transportation system.

There are also very practical questions to answer. Where should robotaxis pick up and drop off passengers? Should they have access to bus lanes? Where will they park or wait between trips? How do we make sure emergency vehicles can move efficiently? And, perhaps most importantly, how should robotaxis interact with public transportation, walking, and cycling?

These are not purely technology questions. They are transportation-system questions.

This is why I believe the European discussion around autonomous vehicles needs to go beyond whether the technology works. It is increasingly about how we integrate that technology into our cities and societies in a way that creates real value.

The U.S. and China are giving us valuable real-world experience. Europe now has the opportunity to learn from it—and to prepare thoughtfully rather than simply react when the technology arrives.

As I said in the VTI interview: we can create real societal benefits with this technology if we do it the right way.

You can read the full interview in VTI aktuellt here (Swedish only)
The original study “Learning for deployment of robotaxis at scale” can be found here (English)

Here’s a nice video interview where I discuss how robotaxis work, why they are the better drivers, and where things are going – and all that while riding in a Waymo.

When I spoke with Anders Eidesvik for Peninsula Press, we focused on how quickly robotaxis are becoming normal in U.S. cities — and whether they’re actually safer. I pointed out that Waymo alone has already logged well over 100 million miles, which finally gives us meaningful safety data instead of just promises.

What those numbers show is pretty clear: these vehicles crash less often than humans and most incidents don’t even lead to injuries. A big reason is their sensor stack — lidar, radar, cameras — plus the fact that they don’t get tired, distracted, or overconfident like people do.

That said, I also stressed that widespread adoption will take time. Waymo is ahead, but others like Tesla and Zoox are still developing their systems, and fully autonomous cars outnumbering human drivers is probably decades away, not right around the corner.

In my conversation with Damian Reilly the Arabian Business, we talked about how cars are rapidly becoming part of the internet — and how that shift goes well beyond just autonomy on the roads. I explained that as vehicles get smarter and increasingly connected with infrastructure, other cars, and digital services, our entire transportation system is evolving into a distributed network rather than a collection of isolated machines. 

I stressed that self-driving technology is only the beginning: the real transformation will come when vehicles exchange data with cities, traffic systems, and each other to optimise flow, safety and efficiency. That raises big questions — not just technical ones about connectivity and platforms, but societal ones about privacy, regulation and whether we’re ready for this level of digital integration. 

I also shared my perspective that while this connectivity has huge potential benefits — from fewer accidents to new mobility services — we need to think carefully about the implications for jobs, urban planning and how we govern these systems as they become an extension of the internet itself.

Nice coverage from Vinnova’s Future Mobility here on Ingrid Skogsmo’s and my presentation at the 2025 Drive Sweden Forum:

“Robotaxis will come to Sweden, to Europe! What does that mean? We don’t want to be overrun by yet another advanced mobility solution. We want to be prepared.” – Sven Beiker, Silicon Valley Mobility.

To build the competence and readiness needed for a large-scale robotaxi implementation in Sweden and Europe, Vinnova, via Future Mobility, has funded the project “Learning for Deployment of Robotaxis at Scale.”

The project was conducted by Ingrid Skogsmo (Ph.D.h.c.), ( Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)), and Sven Beiker, PhD (Silicon Valley Mobility), with support from Pony.ai and Zeekr Technology Europe. The research draws on extensive international mapping, interviews with stakeholders across the United States, China, Europe, and Sweden, and focus group discussions with citizens in California.

The project identified key lessons that can inform future implementations in Europe.