FAME Project releases second brief on CCAM deployment dedicated to cities and local authorities

A second policy brief focused on CCAM deployment entitled Empowering Cities to Lead Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) Deployment has been launched. Aimed at national policymakers, the brief offers actionable insights to empower local authorities (particularly in urban and peri-urban areas) to overcome barriers and lead the deployment of CCAM technologies. By aligning CCAM with climate goals, enhancing public trust, and fostering cross-sector collaboration, the brief outlines a pathway toward a unified, sustainable, and inclusive mobility future for Europe. This policy brief is a key output of the recently concluded FAME project which was coordinated by ERTICO and included the ERTICO partners Austriatech, Czech Ministry of Transport, Chalmers, ICCS, PTV Group, TNO, University of Leeds, Vicomtech, Vedecom and VTT.

The brief highlights that well-designed and carefully implemented CCAM services can significantly reduce energy consumption and travel time. However, despite progress at the EU level, key differences between national regulatory frameworks still hamper cross-border CCAM testing and deployment. For instance, while two-thirds of EU countries have established laws for testing autonomous vehicles (AVs), there is a lack of harmonisation, which creates major challenge. To address this, the FAME project has worked on a flexible and adaptable test permit procedure to accommodate varying national regulations.

The brief also notes that most national CCAM strategies currently lack explicit alignment with national climate and energy plans. They often reference automation in connection with electrification or shared mobility, but without clear links to climate neutrality targets. In addition, the development of CCAM solutions is frequently hindered by fragmented efforts across sectors. Overcoming this challenge requires more than alignment: it calls for robust partnerships that integrate public policy objectives with private sector innovation and investment. The brief provides examples and recommendations for how Member States can support local and regional authorities—who often lack the resources and institutional capacity to initiate and sustain such collaborations.

Beyond these areas, the brief also addresses critical issues such as public understanding and acceptance of CCAM technologies, infrastructure readiness and investment, and data governance and sharing—all of which are essential to a successful and inclusive CCAM rollout.

To support this vision, the brief sets out a series of concrete policy recommendations for national authorities, highlighting the key actions needed to enable cities to lead in CCAM deployment:

This article was originally published on the CAD Knowledge Base. You can read the full brief here.