Iveco, a brand of CNH Industrial N.V. and a pioneer in the commercialisation and manufacturing of vehicles powered by alternative fuels, announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Plus, a leading global autonomous trucking company, to jointly develop autonomous trucks.

Under the terms of the non-binding MOU, Iveco and Plus will integrate Iveco‘s latest-generation S-WAY heavy-duty truck with the PlusDrive full-stack autonomous driving system. The cooperation will also explore using Iveco‘s liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine system to power the jointly developed autonomous trucks.

The partnership combines Iveco‘s expertise in heavy-duty truck development, manufacturing, and sales with Plus‘s cutting-edge autonomous driving technology to bring a safe, fuel efficient, and scalable self-driving truck to market quickly, across Europe and other geographies.

Marco Liccardo, chief technology and digital officer, Iveco, said: “The cooperation with Plus represents an excellent opportunity to accelerate the development of the highest levels of automation of heavy trucks. Iveco is already working on ADAS solutions together with selected companies, but when it comes to level 4 autonomy, it is necessary to create an ecosystem of partners. Thanks to its technology leadership, its non-linear thinking, and established relationships with the same key component suppliers, Plus is the perfect partner for accelerating in this process.”

Shawn Kerrigan, COO and co-founder of Plus, said:  “We are thrilled to partner with Iveco, who shares our vision for a safer and more sustainable future through autonomous trucks.

“Our teams will work closely to develop and deploy autonomous trucks, including one that is powered by natural gas. 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.”

Plus, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is applying full-stack self-driving technology to trucks today to enable large scale autonomous commercial transport.