Plus signed a memorandum of understanding with Iveco to jointly develop autonomous trucks that will be deployed across China, Europe and other areas.

Under the terms of the non-binding MOU, Iveco and Plus (formerly Plus.ai) will integrate Iveco’s latest-generation S-Way heavy-duty truck with the PlusDrive full-stack autonomous driving system.

The partners will also explore using Iveco's liquefied natural gas engine system to power the jointly developed autonomous trucks.

“Our teams will work closely to develop and deploy autonomous trucks, including one that is powered by natural gas. Iveco’s global footprint in over 160 countries will enable us to accelerate our commercial deployment and magnify the impact of our autonomous driving technology,” said Shawn Kerrigan, chief operating officer and co-founder of Plus, in a press release.

Marco Liccardo, chief technology and digital officer of Iveco, added: “The partnership with Plus represents an excellent opportunity to accelerate the development of the highest levels of automation for heavy trucks.”

Last month, Plus also announced a partnership with Nvidia to equip its autonomous truck driving system with the Nvidia Drive Orin system-on-a-chip. Company officials said they plan to roll out this next-generation system in 2022 across the United States, China and Europe.