Aidoptation wins first EU level 4 highway testing permit

For autonomous vehicle developers, Aidoptation’s Belgian approval is the regulatory door they have been waiting for the EU to open Aidoptation has received approval from Belgian authorities to carry out level 4 autonomous driving tests on public roads, which will be the first time a fully autonomous system will operate at highway speeds on public roads in the European Union. The permit covers 100 km of the E313 and E314 motorways in the province of Limburg, at speeds up to 120 km/h. The authority was given to the Federal Public Service Mobility and the Flemish Office for Roads and Traffic. Maserati GranTurismo Folgore equipped with LiDAR, radar and camera sensors will be used in the tests. A human safety driver oversees everything and can take control at any point. The trials are designed to validate Aidoptation’s level 4 platform, EdgeDrive, which is built to operate at speeds in excess of 120 km/h on the highway. The decision-making process is based on deterministic models rather than artificial intelligence, ensuring outputs are fully traceable to regulators and insurers. The platform targets automotive OEMs and robotaxi operators who want to expand their operational design space to highway conditions where human reaction time and handling are approaching their limits. Aidoptation was founded in 2025 as a spin-off of the Indy Autonomous Challenge and holds the world autonomous speed record of 318 km/h, set by an empty Maserati MC20 at the Kennedy Space Center. Before highway clearance, the company spent a year testing at proving grounds such as Spa-Francorchamps and Circuit Zolder. Aidoptation Chief Executive Paul Mitchell said in a statement that the trials will “advance our mission to reduce deaths and make motorways safer for everyone”, describing the permit as “a milestone for Aidoptation, the Belgian innovation ecosystem and the wider autonomous driving industry”.