Volvo and Daimler announce plan to develop joint platform for “software-defined” heavy trucks
By Bradley Osborne - 27th May 2024
Promotional image announcing the Volvo-Daimler joint venture
Sweden / Germany – AB Volvo and Daimler Truck AG, two of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in the world, have announced their intention to set up a joint venture for the development of a shared digital platform and operating system for heavy-duty trucks which will be available to any interested customers, including rival OEMs.
By combining their assets and capital, the two European manufacturers will ultimately produce “software-defined” trucks which are capable of continually receiving updates over-the-air. As opposed to a conventional truck range, which is updated with new technologies (e.g., the latest ADAS features) periodically across multiple product generations, the software defined truck could be updated as often as the manufacturer likes, across every vehicle on the road simultaneously. It also provides a new means of fixing issues or bugs in a certain batch or range of trucks without requiring a costly product recall.
