The Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, has announced the introduction of the first dedicated licence plates for trial and commercial autonomous vehicles in Abu Dhabi.
Under the Supervision of the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council, the initiative aims to reflect the emirate’s overall commitment to accelerating the adoption of smart mobility technologies.
The move will seek to regulate the operation of autonomous vehicles on the emirate’s roads via the introduction of the first specialised license plates that clearly identify vehicles operating within testing and pilot programmes, as well as those delivering commercial services using autonomous driving technologies.
All newly introduced plates will fall into two main categories: Plates that are designated for vehicles providing commercial autonomous services will feature the phrase ‘Auto Drive’, whilst plates assigned to vehicles operating within testing and pilot programmes will display the word ‘Test’.
Both categories will feature a unified blue design in an effort to make the vehicles stand out on the roads, with all plates hoped to enable relevant authorities to more easily identify autonomous vehicles of different types while operating on the roads, supporting wider enhanced field monitoring and contributing to improved road safety.
Plates are also linked to the licensing and operational requirements approved for autonomous vehicles, ensuring that all operating companies comply with technical and operational requirements throughout the emirate, further enhancing potential for management of the sector as smart vehicle deployment gradually expands.
The launch of the new plates has been aligned to coincide with the ongoing expansion of autonomous vehicle operations throughout Abu Dhabi, both through commercial services and through testing and pilot programmes.
