California-based autonomous driving software giant Plus announced on Tuesday its long-term partnership with three commercial fleet developers under the Traton Group umbrella to launch Level 4 autonomous trucks on a global scale. According to the press release, the companies have already initiated the public road testing of their self-driving trucks on two continents.
Partnership details
Plus, Scania, MAN, and Navistar teamed up to commercially deploy Level 4 autonomous trucks across the world.
The partnership aims to leverage the three major industry players’ autonomous ready-base trucks to develop a Level 4 commercial autonomous transport solution. Meanwhile, Plus will provide its innovative autonomous driving software in hub-to-hub operations, called “SuperDrive.”
In a significant development, the companies have already started testing the SuperDrive-equipped trucks in Europe and the United States with a safety driver behind the wheels.
In the US, the pilot program is now underway in the freight corridor between San Antonio and Dallas in Texas. It will incrementally expand to other courses in the Texas Triangle and I-10 corridor. In Europe, initial testing began on a Swedish route between Södertälje and Nyköping. Testing for additional European countries will follow this year.
“Plus is thrilled to have our industry leading autonomous driving software be chosen for the TRATON GROUP’s impressive portfolio of storied and trusted global commercial vehicle brands across Scania, MAN, and Navistar. Together we will accelerate the global commercialization of Level 4 autonomous trucks and bring to market safer and more sustainable transportation solutions.”
Shawn Kerrigan, COO and Co-Founder at Plus
About the SuperDriveTM software
Plus is a leading provider of autonomous driving solutions in Silicon Valley. One of its cutting-edge products is the Level 4 driverless technology, “SuperDrive.”
According to Plus, SuperDrive is the “ultimate autonomous driving system enabling driverless vehicle operation on next-gen vehicles.”
It can support easy and fast integration across various vehicle types and powertrains. It also has a powerful data engine from its intensive commercial operation, enabling the company to accumulate crucial real-world data.
Brief background
The newly announced long-term partnership follows a joint development initiative between Plus and Traton Group’s brands in 2023, including tests in busy freight corridors around Texas.
After today’s announcement, Plus declared that the Traton Group brands will test commercial operations of Level 4 autonomous trucks through 2024. From there, they will kick off series production and large-scale commercial deployment.
