Traton to Invest $25 Million in PlusAI for Level-4 Truck Autonomy
Traton Group will pump up to $25 million into Silicon-Valley software house PlusAI so that Scania, MAN, and International lorries can leave the factory with Level-4 highway autonomy already built in, the companies said Tuesday, extending a two-year collaboration.
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Traton Ups R&D Spend to $25 Million
The capital—released in quarterly tranches tied to hardware validation, code delivery, and safety sign-offs—shifts the project from prototype testing to commercial-scale planning. The sum equals the yearly connectivity budget of some global OEMs, a marker of how vital self-driving tech has become to Traton’s earnings forecast.
SuperDrive Built In on Assembly Line
SuperDrive will be embedded during body-on-frame marriage, not bolted on later. That gives PlusAI direct access to engine, brake, and steering controllers aftermarket kits never touch, cutting latency to under 40 milliseconds—about half the SAE-cited benchmark. Traton brands gain one software image flashable over-the-air, ending the patchwork of separate ECU updates that slow new-truck launches.
U.S. and Europe Pilots Rack Up Miles
Since the 2024 CES reveal, International trucks have covered 180,000 autonomous miles on Texas interstates for a Fortune 100 retailer, running in 100 °F heat and winter storms that dropped visibility to 300 ft. In Sweden, Scania rigs haul 40-ton timber trailers on the E4 between Söderhamn and Gävle, climbing 8 percent grades and threading roundabouts. Safety drivers remain, yet disengagements have fallen 38 percent quarter-over-quarter, PlusAI notes.
Driver Gap Fuels Automation Push
The U.S. now lacks about 64,000 long-haul drivers, ATA figures show; Europe’s IRU pegs its shortage at 300,000. First-year turnover tops 100 percent in both regions, pushing per-mile labor cost past $0.65 before benefits. Traton claims Level-4 interstate runs could lift tractor utilization from 7.2 hours a day to near 20, doubling revenue per truck and offsetting an estimated $25,000–$30,000 hardware premium.
2028 Market Launch on the Table
Niklas Klingenberg, Traton R&D board member, told analysts a late-2026 go/no-go decision will determine whether SuperDrive appears on 2028 models. Validation hurdles include redundant steering actuators and cyber-pen tests by TÜV and U.S. DOT. MAN engineers in Munich already reroute firewalls for extra lidar harnesses; Scania’s Södertälje plant runs a digital twin workstation that stress-tests virtual trucks against logged highway data before metal is cut.
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Action Steps
- Fleets running 50-plus tractors should contact Scania, MAN, or International dealers now to secure early-build slots when order books open in 2027.
- Risk managers must update policies to cover software malfunction; autonomous-specific riders are available from Axa and Travelers.
- Dispatch teams can map limited-access, divided highways with HD lanes to calculate potential daily mileage gains under Level-4 exemption rules.
Source: Company statements, industry filings
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