Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 13, Chinese autonomous trucking technology company KargoBot.ai and Zhizi Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zhizi Automobile"), a Chinese new energy intelligent vehicle company established by DECH FUTURE Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., announced a strategic partnership at the launch of the Yaoling II developed by Zhizi Automobile, pledging to accelerate breakthroughs in both product development and operational modes for new energy commercial vehicles, according to a post via KargoBot.ai's WeChat account.
The collaboration strengthens integration at the application end of new energy vehicles (NEVs). By incorporating Zhizi Automobile's high-performance new energy commercial vehicles, KargoBot.ai plans to enhance its operations in short-haul transport and provide the hardware foundation for scaling autonomous driving. Leveraging its in-house L4 autonomous driving technology, fleet scheduling systems, and commercialization in complex scenarios, KargoBot.ai will combine its strengths with Zhizi Automobile's product innovation to accelerate adoption in high-value areas such as trunk logistics and heavy-duty short-haul transport, as well as fast-track the widespread application of autonomous driving technologies in the commercial vehicle sector.
The partnership comes against the backdrop of rapid growth in the new energy heavy-duty truck market driven by global carbon neutrality goals. Industry data show market share of new energy heavy-duty trucks has more than doubled, rising from 5.69% in June 2023 to 14.82% in 2024, and reaching 26.07% by June 2025. In addition, KargoBot.ai stated that it had already been working closely with Zhizi Automobile for two consecutive years.
In 2024, KargoBot.ai partnered with Zhizi Automobile and other ecosystem players to advance R&D and deployment of autonomous battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks. The first phase saw 100 vehicles deployed in Ordos, a prefecture-level city in Inner Mongolia, China, to transport bulk commodities such as coal and minerals. Using hybrid intelligent platooning, the fleet cut labor costs by 83% and reduced energy consumption by 10%, while steadily expanding trunk logistics operations. In May this year, the two companies joined forces with CATL's brand QIJI Energy to sign an order for 100 L4 autonomous battery-swapping heavy-duty trucks, giving rise to an innovative model that tightly integrates autonomous driving with the battery-swapping approach.
The alliance between KargoBot.ai and Zhizi Automobile, not only offers an innovative model for the freight industry by integrating NEVs and intelligent driving, but also demonstrates the commercial potential of such technologies across diverse scenarios. Going forward, the partners plan to deepen cooperation in product R&D, scenario deployment, and ecosystem building, steering the industry toward a greener and smarter future.
