Autonomous trucking software company Plus is merging with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp IX in a deal expected to provide up to $300 million (all numbers USD) in gross proceeds ahead of the planned 2027 commercial launch of factory-built, SuperDrive-enabled trucks.
The business combination, announced June 5 in a news release, would value Plus at $1.2 billion. Upon closing — expected in the fourth quarter — the combined entity will operate as PlusAI and be publicly traded.
Plus, which develops its proprietary virtual driver software “SuperDrive,” said the capital raised will fully fund operations through to commercialization. The company claims its software is already deployed across the U.S., Europe, and Asia and has been tested over 5 million miles. It is currently conducting public road trials in Texas and Sweden, with customer fleet testing expected to begin later this year.
“Churchill IX is excited to give public investors access to a leading company in the sector primed for AI-driven innovation. After evaluating many opportunities, we knew Plus was the right partner. Trucking is the backbone of the global economy but the industry faces a persistent driver shortage that autonomous trucking has the potential to solve,” said Churchill IX CEO Michael Klein in the release.
“Broad adoption depends on confidence in vehicle performance and safety and Plus stands out with its advanced virtual driver platform and a customer-centric commercialization model led by OEM partners. With a software-focused, capital-efficient model, Plus is well positioned to scale,” he added.
Plus was founded in 2016 and maintains operations in California, Texas, and Germany. It says its recent milestone — a successful “driver-out” safety validation—marks a step toward safe, scalable deployment.
Plus expects to initially launch in the U.S. in 2027, followed by expansion into Europe.
“Our long-term vision is to empower fleet operators to run global freight networks with autonomous vehicles that improve safety, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs. We believe the industry is at a critical inflection point, driven by breakthroughs in AI, supportive regulatory momentum, and ecosystem readiness,” said David Liu, co-founder and CEO of Plus in the release. “I’m incredibly proud of the team’s accomplishments to date and confident that, in partnership with Churchill IX, we can accelerate our mission and create significant value for shareholders by scaling with disciplined execution.”
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