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A truck with an autopilot drove onto the roads of Germany. What did the system tests on Iveco show?

A new driver assistance system was introduced by Iveco on its truck. It’s a so-called partial autopilot, but tests show that it can do so much that the driver hardly needs to participate in the driving process.

Tests of the American system are carried out on German tracks under the supervision of Tüv Süd. Later, Iveco plans to conduct tests in other countries – in Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland.

The system has already successfully proven itself in China, it is used on the FAW J7 +.

The Plus Drive system is a combination of radars, sensors and cameras that monitor the situation within a radius of several hundred meters. That is, they see everything that happens in front of the truck, behind it and in adjacent lanes. The information received is analyzed by artificial intelligence, in fact, it also drives the car. The tests are based on the Iveco S-Way.

What then is the role of the driver?

In this truck, it is minimal – the trucker must keep his hand on the steering wheel, view the messages sent by artificial intelligence and occasionally make decisions.

The main skills of the autopilot are:

– automatic lane change to overtake a slow moving vehicle

– self-decreasing speed if you need to let another vehicle pass

– automatic braking in traffic jams

– keep the car clearly in the center of the lane

– choice of economical driving style

In some dangerous situations, the system will be able to handle itself, in others it will send signals to the driver and he must make a decision. For example, when overtaking, the autopilot gives the driver the right to choose.

After the tests, if they satisfy the inspectors, the system will go on sale as a permanent equipment for the new Iveco S-Way heavy truck. The tests will last for several months.