Jan 12 (Reuters) – Self-driving truck startup PlusAI said on Monday it would launch Southern Europe’s first programme to test heavy-duty autonomous trucks, expanding its partnership with Iveco Group brand IVECO.
The programme will develop two IVECO S‑Way trucks equipped with PlusAI’s Level 4 autonomous driving system on a roughly 300-km freight route between Madrid and Zaragoza, with tests starting in 2026 and a safety operator on board.
The trials will be carried out with Spanish logistics operator Sesé and the regional government of Aragon. PlusAI, headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in Europe and the U.S., has worked with Iveco for several years on joint research and testing.
PlusAI is moving towards a planned public listing on Nasdaq through a business combination with blank check company Churchill Capital Corp IX, expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
Iveco is set to be delisted after India’s Tata Motors announced in July it would buy the company in a 3.8-billion-euro deal.
(Reporting by Laura Contemori; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
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