DAF Trucks and Swedish technology company Einride have begun a joint development project on autonomous electric trucks. The plan is to integrate Einride’s Driver autonomous driving system into DAF’s electric vehicle platform.
The target is SAE Level 4 autonomy. Within a defined operating area and under specified conditions, the truck would be able to perform the driving task independently, without requiring human intervention.
The project is notable because it applies an autonomous driving system to the platform of an established European commercial vehicle manufacturer. The approach is also intended to keep the software independent of a particular vehicle brand.
2026 will focus on testing the interfaces
Before an autonomous DAF truck can be tested, the vehicle architecture and driving system must be connected and validated as a single system.
Working with Dutch research institute TNO, DAF and Einride will first define and assess the necessary interfaces. These must allow the autonomous system to access and control the truck’s functions reliably.
The first interface tests and validation activities are planned for 2026. Einride’s autonomous driving software is scheduled for integration and commissioning in 2027. Further interface and functional testing will then be carried out on a DAF truck.
The project is therefore still at the development stage. The companies have not disclosed any initial customers, specific transport routes or a timetable for commercial operation.
Public roads are already part of the plan
The development is not intended solely for closed or private sites.
With TNO’s support, DAF and Einride say they are already working with the relevant type-approval authorities. The platform is being prepared both technically and from a regulatory standpoint so that autonomous operation can later be extended to public roads.
That does not mean the truck has already been approved for regular road use. The partners have not said where these Level 4 trucks could initially operate or under what conditions.
This distinction is particularly important for highly automated vehicles. Repeated journeys along fixed routes or within controlled areas are generally easier to manage, both technically and from a regulatory perspective, than operations on open road networks with changing traffic conditions.
DAF supplies the platform, Einride the driving system
The technical foundation is DAF’s electric truck platform, which includes the XD Electric and XF Electric. Both models were named International Truck of the Year 2026.
Source: DAF
DAF’s electric range extends from the 12-tonne XB Electric for urban distribution work to the XG Electric and XG+ Electric for longer-haul transport.
For DAF, the strategic appeal lies in combining electrification with automation on an established vehicle architecture. For Einride, the partnership provides a way to deploy its autonomous technology without having to develop a complete truck platform of its own.
Henrik Green, Einride’s chief technology officer, said the partnership reinforced the company’s vehicle-independent strategy and was intended to accelerate progress towards a commercially scalable Level 4 operation.
Jeroen van den Oetelaar, DAF’s chief engineer and board member, sees combining the company’s truck platform with autonomous technology as another step towards the next generation of freight transport solutions. For DAF, the integration is part of a broader effort to develop future goods-transport solutions.
PACCAR adds North American experience
Autonomous driving is not new to the wider group. DAF’s parent company, PACCAR, has already conducted development work through its North American Autonomous Vehicle Platform Program.
PACCAR is also working with providers of complete autonomous driving systems, according to the company. Experience from those programmes is expected to support the further development of automated functions on the DAF platform.
DAF can therefore draw not only on Einride’s software expertise but also on experience accumulated by its parent company in other markets.
The commercial case remains unclear
For transport operators, the initial functional test may be less important than what follows.
It remains unclear which transport tasks the Level 4 solution will target, under what conditions it could be approved and whether the additional systems will make economic sense. It is also not known whether DAF intends to offer the technology later as a standard vehicle option or introduce it initially through selected fleet and corridor projects.
The work planned for 2026 and 2027 is intended to establish the technical foundation. Whether that foundation becomes a scalable offering for European road freight will become clear only at the next stage of development.
