In the first phase, DAF and Einride – in collaboration with the Dutch research institute TNO – aim to define and test how the Einride Driver can be integrated into DAF’s battery-electric truck platform. The focus is particularly on the necessary interfaces between the vehicle and the autonomous driving system, which are designed to enable safe and, later, scalable operations. Initial tests and validations of these interfaces are planned for 2026. By 2027, the software is set to be integrated and the system commissioned, followed by functional and interface tests on a DAF truck. It has not yet been decided which model will serve as the test vehicle, although DAF now offers a comprehensive electric portfolio, ranging from the 12-tonne XB Electric to the fully fledged XG and XG+ Electric for long-haul transport.
The collaboration is explicitly intended to go beyond a single test vehicle. DAF and Einride aim to establish the technical and regulatory requirements for the commercial deployment of autonomous battery-electric trucks at SAE Level 4. At this level of automation, a vehicle can fully take over the driving task within a defined operational domain without requiring driver intervention.
