Finland clears Bliq.ai for driverless vehicle operations
Bliq.ai today announced that Finland has approved Bliq Driverless for public road operations with immediate effect. The decision follows Finland’s recognition of Bliq’s existing .
Operations will initially take place with a safety driver onboard as part of the first deployment phase, allowing Bliq to validate the system under local conditions and prepare for its first winter operations in Finland.
Bliq is building driverless cars for private and business use, starting in Europe. Rather than manufacturing purpose-built autonomous vehicles, the company upgrades existing software-defined vehicles with a fast-to-integrate sensor and compute stack, turning them into fully driverless cars. Its current product generation combines an AI-based Level 2 driving system with remote human supervision, enabling rapid deployment while maintaining robust safety oversight.
Testing in and around Helsinki will begin shortly.
“We are beyond excited. This approval brings us closer to making driverless mobility part of everyday life across Europe,” said Julian Glaab, CEO and Co-Founder of Bliq.
“For people and businesses in Finland, this means access to cars that can handle the driving for them, giving them more freedom, more productive time, and a safer way to travel.
Finland also gives us the opportunity to validate Bliq Driverless in one of Europe’s most demanding operating environments.”
Bliq’s Finnish deployment will be led by Erik Safonov, who currently oversees the company’s activities across the Baltics from Tallinn and will now also lead the Helsinki launch.
“Expanding from Tallinn to Helsinki is a natural next step for Bliq,” said Erik Safonov, Operations Lead at Bliq.
“Helsinki gives us a new environment in which to build real-world experience. Our focus now is on launching carefully, learning quickly, and establishing a strong foundation in Finland.”
Building momentum for autonomous vehicles in Europe, in April, autonomous vehicle startup Verne announced the launch of Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service, starting in Zagreb, Croatia, enabling members of the public to book and pay for a Pony.ai-powered autonomous ride through the Verne app.
