The first factory-installed Nikola Tre BEVs and hydrogen electric vehicles that will incorporate enhanced driver assistance features powered by PlusDrive will be available by the end of 2024.
Hydrogen and battery electric truck manufacturer Nikola will make PlusDrive – Plus' lidar, radar and camera sensor and software-based safety system – a factory-installed standard for Nikola Tre battery-electric and hydrogen electric vehicles in the U.S., by the end of next year.
"We are one of the first OEMs to offer 100% electric steering paired with the ZF EBS braking system," said Nikola Corporation President and CEO Michael Lohscheller. "This base technology in all our vehicles, combined with Nikola’s own internally developed vehicle controls, over-the-air updates and vehicle security can enable the integration of these advanced sensors and the realization of the PlusDrive safety system from Plus.”
PlusDrive handles many mundane driving tasks, allowing the driver to take on the role of a pilot who supervises system operation on the highway. In normal highway traffic conditions, and while supervised by a truck operator, PlusDrive can autonomously handle lane centering, driver-initiated lane changes, traffic jam assist, predictive fuel optimization, adaptive cruise control (down to zero mph), lane merging, driver attentiveness detection, Operational Design Domain (ODD) checker, self-calibration, and over-the-air updates.
PlusDrive will moderate and predict the optimal and safest speed, while also taking full advantage of regenerative braking in traffic and slowing conditions. The vehicle is expected to keep the best position within the lane and account for other large vehicles and emergency vehicles.
