Shift Magazine - March 2021 - S17

RAMPING UP

Plus will first deploy its
driver-assist systems
with FAW Group in
China.

Plus to roll big rigs on a 'continuum' toward self-driving future
BY PETE BIGELOW

road for the " foreseeable future. "
" We're targeting that supervisor level,
nderstandably, the idea of selfwhere the system is driving the truck on
driving large trucks has garnered
the highway, but the driver is supervising
tremendous attention throughout
throughout that operation, " Kerrigan said.
the coronavirus pandemic and its
" Through that, you get a lot of the benereverberations through the supply
fits of this type of technology. "
chain. One of the major players in the
Investors, which include Guotai Junan
automated freight realm believes in that
International and Wanxiang International
long-term road map but intends to take an
Investment, see immediate potential in
important interim step.
Plus' short-term approach. In mid-FebPlus will launch a driver-assist product
ruary, the company unveiled a $200
this year that keeps humans in
million funding round, which
control but supports their drivplaces the Cupertino, Calif.,
ing habits and helps them save
upstart among the more wellfuel.
funded leaders in the segThe company intends to comment. Plus has raised $400
mercially deploy its driver-asmillion over its four-and-a-half
sist systems during the second
year history.
quarter in partnership with FAW
Beyond improving driver
Group, the largest Chinese
comfort, diminishing fatigue
truck manufacturer. Shortly
and striving for safety benchKerrigan: Targeting
thereafter, company officials
marks, truck operators can
" supervisor level "
say their technology will reach
make significant fuel-efficiency
U.S. roads.
improvements with an automated system
Many companies believe that sysin active control. The gap between the
tems that keep humans in the driving
least-efficient human drivers and the
loop are so distinct from autonomous
most efficient is approximately 30 perones, in which humans never have a
cent, Kerrigan said. He believes that by
role, that their development cannot be
using precise throttle control and knowlcommingled.
edge of surrounding traffic and elevation,
Plus COO Shawn Kerrigan disagrees.
Plus' driver-assist system can achieve
He says there's a natural " continuum "
fuel savings of 5 to 10 percent beyond
between the two, which allows the comthe best human drivers.
pany to cull data from driver-assist deployThe driver-assist technology reaches
ments and use it to train self-driving systhe road at a critical juncture. The coronatems. But he sees the former ruling the
virus has brought renewed appreciation

to trucking's role in underpinning essential-goods delivery, with 72.5 percent of
all freight transported in the U.S. hauled
by the trucking industry, according to the
American Trucking Associations.
Plus wants its technology to serve
as many markets as possible. While
self-driving truck companies have
coalesced their testing largely around
the Interstate 10 corridor - which runs
east and west from Florida to California
- the company, founded in 2016, has
conducted testing in 14 U.S. states and
seven Chinese provinces.
" In order for any system to really be
proven safe and robust, it's got to experience a broad range of different conditions, " Kerrigan said. " The best way to
do that is to get out there and operate in
all those different types of conditions. "
The latest funding included investments by Chinese automaker SAIC Motor
and Full Truck Alliance, a Chinese company sometimes described as an Uber
for trucking. Kerrigan says the funding
will help Plus expand testing and ramp up
production of the automated driving systems, then begin testing in Europe once
its deployments in China and the U.S. are
underway.
" The thing we're most excited about is
that this is really helping to bring this type of
technology to trucks today, " he said. " Our
focus is on deploying real commercial products into trucks this year. ... This funding is
just going to help us scale up that effort. " n

march 2021 * shift

Shift Magazine - March 2021

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