en.Wedoany.com Reported - Belgian company Aidoptation has obtained the EU's first permit for Level 4 autonomous driving on highways, allowing its driverless vehicles to travel on public roads at speeds of 120 km/h. The permit covers a 100-kilometer stretch of the E313 and E314 highways in Limburg province.
Level 4 autonomous driving means the vehicle handles all driving tasks entirely on its own, without requiring human monitoring of the road. This is fundamentally different from driver assistance tools currently tested in Europe; for example, Tesla's FSD remains at Level 2, with the human driver legally responsible. Aidoptation's test vehicle is a Maserati GranTurismo Folgore electric coupe, equipped with lidar, radar, cameras, and robotic hardware.
Aidoptation's research direction differs from low-speed urban robotaxis, targeting highway scenarios. In such scenarios, collisions are less frequent but have higher fatality rates. At 120 km/h, a driver typically needs 1.5 seconds to react, during which the vehicle travels over 50 meters. The company originates from the Indy Autonomous Challenge (a driverless racing series), and its engineers previously set an autonomous speed record of 318 km/h at the Kennedy Space Center using a driverless Maserati MC20. Its product, EdgeDrive, is specifically designed to handle instantaneous emergencies at high speeds, such as sudden obstacles, emergency evasive maneuvers, and low-grip road surfaces.
The core feature of EdgeDrive is that its driving decisions do not use artificial intelligence. The product operates on what Aidoptation calls a first-principles deterministic model. The company states that every choice made by the vehicle is traceable and auditable, which helps regulators and insurance companies recognize its safety—something neural network systems struggle to achieve.
The testing is not unrestricted. A human safety driver will remain behind the wheel at all times, ready to take over the vehicle. The tests follow a phased plan conducted under protocols established by the Federal Public Service Mobility and the Flemish roads agency. Belgian insurer Ethias underwrites and supports the project. Local ministers believe this permit demonstrates the region's ability to lead rather than follow in the field of autonomous driving. Aidoptation was founded in 2025, with supporters including LRM, SFPIM, Ethias Ventures, and Belfius Bank.
Europe lags behind the United States and China in autonomous driving on public roads due to cautious processes and cumbersome paperwork. The first Level 4 highway permit, even with a safety driver, represents a landmark achievement. Whether a deterministic, non-AI system can handle the complexities of real-world road conditions at 120 km/h will be validated through these tests.
