Bosch and Plus, two leading players in the automotive industry, have recently announced their partnership to develop driver assistance and partially automated features for commercial vehicles. The collaboration involves combining PlusDrive, the advanced software-based driving system from Plus, with the integrated steering system from Bosch. The resulting L2++ vehicles will offer several automated functions, such as traffic-jam assist, merge handling, lane change assistance, and driver attentiveness detection, among others.
PlusDrive, the driving force behind the partnership, is a next-generation safety solution enabled by an open autonomy platform. The technology can also reduce the chances of accidents when combined with Bosch’s steering system for lateral control. The integration of PlusDrive and Bosch’s steering software system has several benefits for commercial vehicle drivers. First, it will improve safety on the road, as the technology can help prevent accidents. Second, it will accelerate the deployment of highly automated systems for partners. And third, it will improve the sustainability of the trucking industry by reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
The PlusDrive system has several advanced features that enhance the driver’s experience and safety on the road. For example, the traffic jam assist feature enables drivers to relax in heavy traffic by taking over acceleration, braking, and steering, up to a certain speed limit. The merge handling feature helps drivers to safely merge into traffic, while the lane change assistance feature helps drivers to change lanes more safely and efficiently.
The system also includes over-the-air updates, which ensure that the latest software updates are always installed, and driver attentiveness detection, which monitors the driver’s level of alertness and provides warnings if the driver is getting drowsy or distracted. The lane nudge feature provides gentle steering assistance if the vehicle drifts out of its lane, while the sensor self-calibration feature ensures that the sensors are always calibrated correctly.
According to Paul Thomas, the Executive Vice President of Mobility Solutions, Americas at Bosch, the partnership with Plus complements the existing Bosch portfolio elements and is one of the multiple ways they can work together to support their customers. Meanwhile, Shawn Kerrigan, COO, and co-founder at Plus, noted that the collaboration will help prevent accidents in commercial vehicles and make roads safer. The partnership will also accelerate the deployment of the highly automated Plus system for their partners and improve the safety and sustainability of the trucking industry.
The partnership between Bosch and Plus represents a significant milestone in the development of driver assistance and partially automated features for commercial vehicles. Integrating the PlusDrive system and Bosch’s steering software system will provide several advanced features that enhance the driver’s experience and safety on the road. The collaboration will also improve the sustainability of the trucking industry by reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
