Plus has confirmed its virtual driver, SuperDrive, recently completed validation tests of fully autonomous operations and handling of advanced safety maneuvers with no person in the truck. The tests were carried out on a closed test track, and the autonomous trucking AI software company says this breakthrough highlights how it is continuously enhancing the safety, reliability and maturity of its AI-based self-driving software as it prepares for the commercial launch of factory-built driverless trucks integrated with SuperDrive.
The validation of a SuperDrive truck with fully redundant sensors and computers is a major milestone on the roadmap to starting factory production of driverless trucks. SuperDrive operated the truck without a human driver in the cabin or remote intervention. The driverless truck relied entirely on Plus’s self-driving technology to make complex real-time driving decisions.
SuperDrive is trained using end-to-end AI models to dynamically handle unexpected situations where it is no longer safe for the truck to continue on the road. Its Autonomous Fallback System (AFS) is designed to ensure that the hardware and software in the self-driving system are resilient and capable at all times. Repeated driverless tests validated that once the AFS identifies and confirms an issue, such as a sensor failure, software module fault or road closure, it reliably directs SuperDrive to the safest path, whether that is to come to a slow stop in its lane or to pull over to the side and stop the vehicle.
The stringent tests, a culmination of years of safety validation and rigorous testing using simulations, closed courses and public roads, are a testament to the system’s performance and the effectiveness of the AFS.
“Autonomous trucks are among the most transformational applications of physical AI. When it comes to launching driverless trucks commercially, it is critical for our self-driving software to be able to handle the expected and unexpected complexities of driving and interacting with the physical world. Safety is and always will be a priority at all times,” said David Liu, CEO and co-founder at Plus.
“We are taking deliberate steps to test, validate and deliver safe and scalable factory-built autonomous trucks with SuperDrive that meet the rigorous demands of the freight industry.”
Plus has accumulated more than five million miles of real-world driving using its autonomous driving system. Public road testing is underway in the US state of Texas and in Sweden as part of its development and preparation for the commercial launch of SuperDrive.
For safe and scalable deployment, Plus has partnered with the world’s largest truck makers, including Traton Group’s Scania, MAN, and international brands Hyundai and Iveco, to bring factory-built driverless trucks to Europe and the USA. Plus is also partnering with Tier IV to launch driverless trucks in Japan to address the country’s critical driver shortage.