- L4 autonomous driving company co-developed the platform behind Dongfeng’s OpenVAN brand
- More than 4,000 vehicles have been ordered ahead of planned deliveries in August
Zelostech (九识智能), an autonomous driving company, has become the technology partner behind Dongfeng Motor’s newly launched OpenVAN driverless logistics vehicle brand, marking one of the deepest collaborations yet between a Chinese legacy automaker and an L4 autonomous-driving developer.
Dongfeng unveiled four OpenVAN models on June 6 in Xiangyang, Hubei province, where its listed commercial vehicle unit, Dongfeng Automobile Co., is based.
Ranging from the DF-2 to the DF-60, these vehicles span cargo capacities of 2 to 60 cubic meters and payloads of 1 to 13.6 tons.
They target applications from last-mile delivery and urban logistics to industrial park transportation and long-haul freight.
At the core of the lineup is an L4 autonomous driving system jointly developed by Dongfeng and Suzhou-based Zelostech.
Foundation model
The platform uses an end-to-end foundation-model architecture and delivers more than 500 TOPS of computing power.
According to Zelostech, which is widely recognized as a leader in the nation’s burgeoning robovan space, the system has accumulated more than 130 million kilometers of real-world operational validation.
Additionally, the system has also been trained to handle edge cases such as sudden pedestrian crossings and adverse weather conditions including rain, snow and fog.
Unlike a conventional Tier 1 automotive supplier, Zelostech participated in vehicle development, testing and delivery alongside Dongfeng, as part of what is commonly referred to as a “Tier 0.5” model.
The deep collaboration spans chassis tuning, control strategies, exterior design and safety redundancy systems.
‘Highest payload’
According to Xue Yapeng, Zelostech ecosystem and innovation business general manager, the companies jointly developed the autonomous vehicle industry’s “highest-payload” heavy-duty chassis and incorporated multiple redundant steering and braking technologies.
Among the four OpenVAN models introduced by Dongfeng, the DF-60 is the largest, with a maximum payload of 13.6 tons.
“Let the people who understand vehicles build the vehicle, and let the people who understand L4 safeguard it,” Zelostech co-founder Zhou Qing said.
Under the partnership, Dongfeng is responsible for vehicle engineering, manufacturing and market rollout, while Zelostech works on the autonomous driving system and long-term operational support.
The tie-up illustrates a growing trend in China’s autonomous driving sector, where automakers are increasingly pairing vehicle-development and manufacturing expertise with AI-driven autonomy specialists to accelerate the commercialization of driverless logistics fleets.
Deepening ties between OEMs and tech suppliers
Headquartered in the Hubei provincial capital Wuhan, Dongfeng Motor is one of China’s three centrally administered state-owned automakers, alongside FAW Group and Changan Automobile.
At the launch event, Dongfeng signed strategic cooperation agreements with eight companies, including China Logistics, Shandong Yashe New Energy, Dongfeng Logistics and COSCO Shipping.
Customer orders have exceeded 4,000 vehicles, with deliveries expected to begin in August, Dongfeng said.
