The TRATON GROUP, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, and PlusAI, a leader in AI-based virtual driver software for autonomous trucks, announced to expand their global partnership to accelerate the development and scaled deployment of on-highway autonomous trucking solutions in the U.S. and Europe.
Under an expanded agreement, TRATON would commit up to $25 million in non-dilutive R&D funding to PlusAI to accelerate factory integration of SuperDrive™ into autonomous trucks of TRATON’s brands. In connection with PlusAI’s planned public listing, TRATON will nominate a representative to the initial PlusAI Board of Directors to further align the organizations as they prepare for a planned U.S. commercial launch.
“Autonomous trucking is a strategic pillar of TRATON’s long-term technology roadmap,” said Niklas Klingenberg, Member of the Executive Board, responsible for Research & Development in the TRATON GROUP. “From day one of our collaboration, PlusAI’s technical capabilities and commercial execution have exceeded our expectations, giving us even greater confidence that we have chosen the right partner. Autonomy represents a meaningful opportunity to deliver higher uptime and greater value for our fleet customers while strengthening the long-term competitiveness of our brands. Our expanded partnership will reflect both this confidence and our shared goal of bringing factory-built on-road autonomous trucks to market at scale.”
Also Read: Ethernovia Raises $90M to Advance Autonomous Networking
This expanded partnership builds on the collaboration first announced in 2024, when PlusAI’s virtual driver system, SuperDrive™, was selected as the on-highway autonomous driving platform for TRATON’s brands, including Scania, MAN, and International. Since then, the companies have achieved multiple technical and operational milestones toward delivering Level 4 autonomous trucking capabilities. Notably, International initiated autonomous fleet trials in Texas with one of the largest logistics and transportation operators in North America, marking a significant step toward scaled commercial deployment.
“Together with TRATON, we’ve moved autonomy from the lab to factory integration and now to real-world operations,” said David Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of PlusAI. “We have a common Level 4 software stack operating in Europe and the U.S., proven integration on truck platforms of TRATON’s brands, successful driverless validation, and customer pilots underway. The expanded partnership allows us to build on this momentum and accelerate towards scaled commercial deployment.”
Expanded partnership to accelerate autonomous truck commercialization
A definitive agreement governing the terms of the arrangement is under negotiation, and the following terms of the TRATON commitment are currently subject to a non-binding agreement:
- Dedicated R&D funding: TRATON will provide up to $25 million in dedicated research and development (R&D) funding for the advancement of SuperDrive™, deeper integration across truck platforms of TRATON’s brands, expansion of safety cases, and commercialization programs in the U.S. and Europe. The agreement also includes the potential for additional funding as the partnership progresses and milestones are achieved, reflecting TRATON’s long-term commitment to autonomy development.
- TRATON to nominate a member to the PlusAI Board: In connection with PlusAI’s public listing, TRATON will nominate a member to the initial PlusAI Board of Directors, subject to customary approvals. This nomination will reflect TRATON’s strong strategic support for PlusAI and further aligns the companies on product development, market rollout, and customer adoption, while maintaining PlusAI’s independent governance structure.
- Warrants linked to PlusAI revenue milestones: TRATON will be eligible to receive private warrants tied to initial deployment revenue milestones based on revenue earned by PlusAI from commercial deployments of TRATON-branded trucks equipped with SuperDrive™.
- Joint deployment, manufacturing scale-up, and customer expansion: TRATON and PlusAI will continue advancing customer fleet trials, preparing TRATON’s manufacturing systems for scaled production of SuperDrive™-enabled trucks, and coordinating deployment planning across priority freight corridors. The companies will jointly define routes and operational design domains (ODDs) for commercial service in the U.S., while laying the groundwork for expansion into key European markets.
SOURCE: TRATON