The DGT has authorised the first trials of autonomous vehicles in Madrid, Getafe and Alcobendas. The first commercial trips could start in the first quarter of 2027.
The Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) has authorised the first trials of autonomous vehicles in the capital and in the municipalities of Getafe and Alcobendas, to analyse how they behave in real traffic with pedestrians, cyclists and other cars. According to COPE, journalist Álvar Madrid has already tested one of these services, in his case in Atlanta (United States).
Madrid requested the service through the app while attending a sporting event. Within five minutes, a car arrived with no one at the wheel. At first, he felt "a bit of vertigo or a bit of anxiety", but he found that the vehicle was operating with "total normality".
According to a Spanish worker on the project in Atlanta, the cars have a sensor on the roof that emits laser signals in all directions. These signals bounce off objects and generate a 3D map of the environment in real time.
The partner of Impulso Mobility and former director of the DGT, Ramón Ledesma, states that there are already about 4,000 autonomous vehicles operating in around 30 cities, mainly in the United States and China, with 40 million trips accumulated.
"The autonomous car that has no driver does not read messages, does not exceed the speed limit, does not drink"
In Madrid, Uber and Waymo are already in the testing phase with a fleet of between 20 and 30 vehicles, which are mapping the city. Ledesma estimates that the first commercial trips could start in the first quarter of 2027, once the trials are completed.
Ledesma believes that these vehicles are "especially safe". Waymo has reduced accidents by 95% and, in nearly three years of operation, has not recorded any fatalities.
The vehicles will not operate without limits. Their activity will be restricted to a defined area and conditions, and in Spain it will probably be concentrated within the M-30. Before commercial deployment, the major challenge is the legal framework that allows operation under a transport authorisation, whether for VTC or taxi.
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