Autonomous Mobility as a Means of Innovation Diffusion: The Case of Trikala, Greece

The city of Trikala, Greece was one of the first cities in Europe that deployed Autonomous Vehicle (AV) trials in public streets, along dedicated (not separated) path. The implementation of the project faced numerous technical, legislative, administrative and practical challenges. However, it has achieved a significant added value for the city. First, it supported the engagement of local community with smart city projects. Second, it provided the city authorities with valuable knowledge on the development and operation of AV and smart mobility systems. Third, it contributed to the enhancement of the city’s profile as innovator in digital transition. Moreover, after the completion of the project, the AV corridor was converted to a bicycle lane, serving many highly attractive destinations in the city. This paper addresses the challenges in the implementation of the project, the effect of the project in the attitudes of local community towards smart city applications, the knowledge gained and the impact regarding innovation diffusion in the city in two periods. The first evaluation takes place one year after the completion of the project (02/2016) and focuses on its immediate impact and perceptions of the public towards it. Five years later, taking also into account the corona crisis, the second evaluation takes place in 2021 mostly focusing on the knowledge gained and on the innovation diffusion effects. The evaluation is based on literature review, with focus on the examined AV project, as well as on thorough structured interviews with the project implementation authority e-Trikala in a 5-year period.