Plus and Scania, MAN, and Navistar Partner to Accelerate Global Commercial Deployment of Level 4 Autonomous Trucks
Public road testing has already begun in the U.S. and Europe; The companies will pilot commercial autonomous trucking operations with fleets, then start series production and global commercial deployment at scale
Munich / Santa Clara, March 12, 2024 – Plus, a global provider of autonomous driving software solutions, announced today a long-term partnership with Scania, MAN and Navistar of the TRATON GROUP for the global commercial deployment of Level 4 autonomous trucks. The companies will create a Level 4 commercial autonomous transport solution using Scania, MAN, and Navistar autonomous ready base vehicles and Plus’s autonomous driving software in hub-to-hub operations.
Trucks of the TRATON GROUP brands equipped with Plus’s Level 4 autonomous driving solution, SuperDriveTM, are already being tested on public roads in Europe and the U.S. with a safety driver on board. The companies will pilot commercial operations with fleets in 2024, then start series production and global commercial deployment at scale.
“We see autonomous as a key part of our offer for a full range of safe, efficient and sustainable transport solutions that can be adapted according to each individual customer’s specific needs, something which is further strengthened by our partnership with Plus,” said Peter Hafmar, Vice President and Head of Autonomous Solutions, at Scania, leading the coordination of Autonomous Solutions for the TRATON GROUP.
“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,” said Shawn Kerrigan COO and Co-Founder at Plus. “Together we will accelerate the global commercialization of Level 4 autonomous trucks and bring to market safer and more sustainable transportation solutions.”
“By expanding our autonomous hub-to-hub program, we are taking a leading position in providing autonomous solutions to our customers,” added Hafmar.
The long-term partnership builds on the joint development between the TRATON GROUP brands and Plus over the last year and a collaboration that goes back even further. The teams have started testing their Level 4 autonomous trucks in the busy freight corridor between San Antonio and Dallas in Texas and will expand to other routes in the Texas triangle and I-10 corridor. Commercial deployments will expand incrementally along strategic U.S. corridors. In Europe, testing is currently on a route between Södertälje and Nyköping in Sweden, and there are plans to conduct pilot operations with customers in other European countries in 2024.
Built on Plus’s Open Platform for Autonomy, SuperDriveTM is Plus’s Level 4 software solution that enables driverless vehicles. Through its partnerships with world-class fleets, Tier-1 automotive suppliers, vehicle manufacturers, and infrastructure providers, Plus is validating and refining SuperDriveTM for integration into vehicles at the factory level and global commercial deployment.
Watch this video for more about Plus’s partnership with the TRATON GROUP brands: https://youtu.be/uPlrVQ2IlvA.
About Plus
Plus is a global provider of autonomous driving software solutions that span driver-in next generation safety systems to highly automated PlusDriveⓇ and driver-out SuperDriveTM. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California with operations in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, Plus is named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Startup Employers and by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Plus’s Open Platform for Autonomy is already powering vehicles in commercial use today. Partners including Bosch, dm-drogerie markt, DSV, IVECO, Luminar, Nikola, Scania / MAN / Navistar of the TRATON GROUP, and Transurban are working with Plus to accelerate next-generation transportation solutions. For more information, visit www.plus.ai.
About TRATON GROUP
With its brands Scania, MAN, Navistar, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus, TRATON SE is the parent and holding company of the TRATON GROUP and one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. The Group’s product portfolio comprises trucks, buses, and light-duty commercial vehicles. “Transforming Transportation Together. For a sustainable world.” — this intention underlines the Company’s ambition to have a lasting and sustainable impact on the commercial vehicle business and on the Group’s commercial growth.
