Santa Clara, February 13, 2024 – Plus unveiled the Open Platform for Autonomy (OPA), an open and modular software platform powered by the latest AI models. OPA supports all levels of autonomy, adapts to specific customer needs and is optimized for cost-to-performance ratio. OPA is a unique approach in the autonomous vehicle industry for enabling autonomous driving capabilities on customizable configurations across different sensors, processors, vehicle platforms and powertrains. Plus has packaged OPA into a suite of solutions that span driver-in next generation safety systems to highly automated PlusDrive® and driver-out Level 4 SuperDrive™.
About Plus (~Gemini, Google): Plus develops Level 4 self-driving technology specifically for commercial freight trucks. They offer two solutions:
- PlusDrive: This system adds autonomous capabilities to existing trucks, requiring a human driver to be present.
- Factory-Integrated Solutions: Plus partners with truck manufacturers to build self-driving trucks from the ground up.
Their technology utilizes AI, cameras, lidar, and radar to provide trucks with a 360-degree view and enable safe and efficient autonomous driving. They completed the first cross-country driverless freight delivery in the US in 2019 and began commercial use of their system in 2021.
Shawn Kerrigan, COO and Co-Founder at Plus, said: “Plus is the autonomous driving partner of choice for OEMs and Tier 1s. This is because of the underlying flexibility, performance, and scalability built into our technology. That’s why the Open Platform for Autonomy is a game-changer for the industry. It provides vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1s maximum flexibility to develop products customized for their audiences. It’s also a natural pathway to evolve their offerings into higher levels of automation over time.”
Modularity, flexibility and scalability by design
Plus’s OPA consists of off-board modules, autonomous vehicle functional modules, and vehicle integration modules. The brain connects all systems needed for autonomous driving capabilities. Moreover, this includes the sensor suite, computing platform, and actuation systems. OPA enables customers to quickly integrate automated driving capabilities into their vehicles, while retaining ultimate control over their autonomy solutions.
One powerful software platform, supporting next-gen safety systems to full autonomy use cases
OPA utilizes Level 4 autonomous driving software as its core, enabling support for various autonomy levels in diverse use cases. Next generation safety systems benefit tremendously from the state-of-the-art perception technology in the OPA. The L2++ PlusDrive® solution is currently utilized for commercial freight transport in the U.S. and undergoing trials on European roads. Moreover, these deployments give customers the opportunity to benefit from safer and more fuel-efficient automated driving today. Over-the-air software updates of OPA enable continuous improvement and expansion of features for drivers, supporting customer OEMs’ software-defined vehicle strategies. Furthermore, OEM customers expanding their vehicle range to include higher levels of automation in the future will enjoy a seamless and faster transition. This will benefit both from a technology and end user standpoint. Plus is deploying its L4 SuperDrive™ solution to help bring autonomous trucks to Australia.
