IVECO and DSV begin semi-automated truck pilot in Germany

Together with long-time partner Plus, IVECO will soon start semi-automated trucking pilot in Germany. The project is also shared with logistics company DSV, as well as dm-drogerie markt, one of Europe’s largest home and personal care retail companies.

More into details, after several months of stringent testing and validation, the program will use a new production intent design of the IVECO S-Way heavy-duty truck equipped with Plus’s driver-supervised highly automated driving software, the patented PlusDrive. This brings the PlusDrive-enabled IVECO S-Way one step closer to the start of series production.

IVECO S-Way semi-automated truck: the routes

The test runs on the route between the dm distribution center in Waghäusel and the DSV distribution center in Gernsheim. In the first phase, drivers from IVECO will be conducting the test and be accompanied by DSV drivers for training. After this, the trained drivers will be able to drive themselves. The program will enable the gathering of real-world data on the operational benefits of the PlusDrive-enabled IVECO S-Way. Benefits demonstrated in other global customer deployments of PlusDrive include reduced driver fatigue, improved road safety, and increased fuel efficiency which in turn decreases carbon emissions.

The program will also validate the readiness of the latest-generation PlusDrive-enabled IVECO S-Way, which has been optimized for series production and delivery of high-performance automated driving features. Talking about the truck equipment, advanced sensors have been integrated and lidar is optional for the vision-centric perception system on PlusDrive. DSV and dm are the first companies in Germany to test the semi-autonomous driver assistance solution in trucks in Europe.

Statements from IVECO and Plus

Marco Liccardo, Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Iveco Group said: “Data and feedback from customer pilots are key to helping us create innovative and sustainable products that customers value. Our collaboration with dm, DSV, and Plus on this pilot program brings us closer to realizing innovation-driven, safety-enhanced highly automated commercial vehicles. We are excited to empower fleets and truck drivers with the unprecedented potential of these next-generation vehicles.”

“This new milestone of having a production intent design of the PlusDrive-enabled S-Way ready for the pilot resulted from the ongoing tight collaboration between the Plus and IVECO teams. We are thrilled to demonstrate the capabilities and maturity of our autonomous driving software in this pilot for DSV and dm, and start preparing for series production,” added Shawn Kerrigan, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder at Plus.