Nikola will start providing a sophisticated driver-assist system on its electrical heavy vehicles beginning late subsequent 12 months, the corporate mentioned Wednesday.

The system, made by Plus and known as PlusDrive, is just like the freeway driving techniques supplied by automakers together with Tesla, Normal Motors and Ford Motor – whereas a human driver should be current and attentive, the system can deal with most freeway driving duties by itself, along with helping the human driver in non-highway conditions together with backing as much as loading docks.  

Plus says its “autonomous driving know-how provides the business’s best-in-class notion system and deep studying fashions to rapidly, precisely, and safely understand the automobile’s environment, predict what’s coming subsequent, and management the automobile to make its subsequent transfer.”

However a Nikola consultant informed CNBC the system as will probably be built-in into the corporate’s semitrucks is designed to be an “eyes-on-road, hands-on-wheel” system.

Nikola CEO Michael Lohscheller mentioned in a launch that the electrical steering and braking techniques already used within the firm’s vehicles will simplify the combination of Plus’ system, which incorporates radar, cameras and lidar sensors to detect obstacles across the truck.

Plus already offers the PlusDrive system to Italian heavy-truck maker Iveco, a longtime Nikola associate. Iveco started testing its personal PlusDrive-enabled vehicles earlier this month.

Nikola mentioned that a number of of its fleet clients, together with PGT Trucking and Christenson Transportation, have agreed to check prototype PlusDrive-enabled Nikola semitrucks. The corporate expects to start providing PlusDrive on its common manufacturing battery-electric and gas cell vehicles by the top of 2024.

Nikola is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter and full-year outcomes earlier than the U.S. markets open on Thursday.

Clarification: Plus’s superior driver-assist system as built-in into Nikola’s semitrucks is designed to be an “eyes-on-road, hands-on-wheel” system, in line with an organization consultant. An earlier model of this story mischaracterized the performance.