Iveco has signed a memorandum of understanding with US based autonomous truck technology developer, Plus, to jointly develop autonomous trucks that the companies say will be deployed across China, Europe and other areas.
“Our teams will work closely to develop and deploy autonomous trucks, including one that is powered by natural gas,” Shawn Kerrigan, chief operating officer and co-founder of Plus.
“Iveco’s global footprint in over 160 countries will enable us to accelerate our commercial deployment and magnify the impact of our autonomous driving technology,” Kerrigan said.
Under the terms of the nonbinding memorandum of understanding, Iveco and Plus will integrate Iveco’s latest-generation S-WAY heavy-duty truck with the PlusDrive full-stack autonomous driving system, according to Plus.
“The partnership with Plus represents an excellent opportunity to accelerate the development of the highest levels of automation for heavy trucks,” said Marco Liccardo, chief technology and digital officer of Iveco.
Plus and other self-driving truck technology developers are working toward SAE Level 4 trucks, which are those in which the vehicle can travel without driver input or backup assistance, at least within specific areas and conditions
