Autonomous vehicles are on their way We are at a turning point for autonomous vehicles. The technology exists. In China and the US, commercial autonomous trucks already drive on public roads. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is keen to play its part as an innovation platform and develop such cases here too. The technology works Autonomous trucks are no longer a promise, but an operational reality. In China, the use of thousands of autonomous vehicles is already demonstrating a dramatic improvement in safety numbers: at one Chinese player, the insurance ratio dropped from the usual 96 percent for conventional transport firms to a mere 18 percent. Less damage, lower costs, fewer casualties. In the US, players like Volvo Autonomous Solutions are already driving commercially on long corridors. Op 16 september organiseerde we port of the future : autonomous summit. Er kwamen technologiebedrijven gespecialiseerd in autonome (en remote-controlled) technologie samen. The strategic added value extends beyond safety alone. Autonomous trucks can accelerate the modal shift by making last-mile connections more accessible. In addition, they can also make night logistics more viable, thus alleviating daytime congestion. Two transitions in one: autonomous and electric driving can reinforce each other, as the omitted driver cost can offset the additional cost of electric propulsion. ‘’Autonomy scales where it makes economic sense. Ports are a perfect example: high traffic frequency, controlled environments and repetitive operations allow autonomy to grow rapidly within the same operational domain. Then innovation makes real sense.’’ Kai Xue,Vice President Europe at Inceptio Technology The port as an innovation platform Port of Antwerp-Bruges wants to accelerate the commercial roll-out of autonomous mobility. On the one hand, by putting pressure on policy to counteract fragmented legislation in Europe. On the other by developing commercial use cases that can then be scaled up to a full operational