Zelos

Zelos is a globally leading Level 4 autonomous driving city freight solution provider and the creator of the RoboVan (autonomous delivery vehicle) concept. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Zelos boasts a core team primarily drawn from top autonomous driving R&D institutions such as Baidu Apollo.

Unlike traditional passenger car brands, Zelos focuses on "headless" Level 4 unmanned delivery vehicles. The brand is committed to addressing cost reduction and efficiency improvement challenges in urban logistics' "last mile" and city distribution transportation through its "full-stack self-research" technology. In 2026, Zelos achieved a milestone breakthrough at the strategic level. Through deep restructuring with Cainiao Network, a subsidiary of Alibaba, a "super carrier" in the field of unmanned driving freight was formed.

History

Zelos's development is a typical case of the leap of autonomous driving technology from "laboratory prototype" to "large-scale commercialization":

Technology Accumulation and Start-up (2021-2023): The core team deepened L4-level autonomous driving algorithms and released the Z-series unmanned vehicles. In 2023, Zelos became one of the first domestic enterprises to obtain road licensing for unmanned vehicles.

Scaled Implementation (2024-2025): Products quickly covered more than 200 cities nationwide, with a vehicle sales market share exceeding 90%. In September 2025, Zelos released the heavy-load model L5 with a load capacity of 1800kg, breaking the scene restrictions of micro-delivery.

Strategic Integration (January 2026): Cainiao Network invested in Zelos Intelligent with cash plus assets (Cainiao unmanned vehicle business). The two parties formed a strategic alliance, with Zelos leading technology and products, while Cainiao provides global logistics ecosystem support.

Capital Leap (February 2026): Zelos completed a new round of $300 million financing, with the valuation officially breaking 10 billion RMB, becoming the first billion-level unicorn in the RoboVan track.

Globalization (2026 to present): Relying on Cainiao's overseas network, Zelos unmanned vehicles have achieved normalized operations in the Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, and other places.

Product Portfolio

Zelos's product series has built a complete urban smart capacity matrix through the "Z Series (Light)" and "L Series (Heavy)":

Z Series (RoboVan):

Z9: The brand's flagship model, designed for navigating narrow city streets and often used for shuttle services between courier stations and network points.

Z5: A lightweight version tailored for campuses and closed parks.

L Series (Heavy-duty):

L5: A heavy-duty unmanned vehicle launched at the end of 2025 with a load capacity of 1.8 tons. It supports palletized transport and is mainly applied to heavy cargo allocation between factory parks and business bulk logistics.

RoboVan Intelligent Chassis: An open intelligent skateboard chassis that supports customization for scenarios such as road sweeping, retail, and special operations.

Market Performance

In 2026, Zelos has been operating the world's largest L4-level unmanned driving fleet.

Market Dominance: As of the end of 2025, the delivery volume of unmanned vehicles from the Zelos and Cainiao alliance has exceeded 20,000 units, occupying an absolute dominant position in the industry.

Business Closure: In the second half of 2025, Zelos achieved a key inflection point—the cost of remote human takeover dropped to below 3% of operating costs, achieving break-even excluding R&D investment.

Application: Widely used in express logistics (China Post, SF Express, etc.), industrial logistics, supermarket distribution, and community group buying. The daily capacity per vehicle can replace 2-3 traditional riders, reducing costs by about 50%.

Technology and Innovation 

Zelos's technical logic emphasizes "full-stack self-research" and "engineering implementation":

Level 4 autonomous driving hardware and software stack: Features self-developed AI chips and multi-sensor fusion perception algorithms, supporting centimeter-level positioning and decision-making in complex environments such as rainy or snowy days and tunnels.

JuiceFS Cross-cloud Storage Base: A PB-level storage system has been built to support billion-level autonomous driving simulation and training file processing, significantly shortening the algorithm iteration cycle.

Headless Vehicle Industrial Design: The cabin has been completely removed to utilize 100% of the space for cargo. The body structure meets commercial vehicle safety standards and features IP67 dust and water protection capability.

Remote Takeover and Ops Cloud: Leveraging 5G networks to achieve "low-frequency takeover," allowing one safety officer to supervise more than 50 vehicles simultaneously in the background.

Global Presence

2026 marks Zelos's "first year of going overseas." Leveraging Cainiao's global distribution centers, Zelos has become an official partner of Singapore Post and Malaysia Post. In the European market, Zelos has passed rigorous vehicle safety certifications and has begun commercial pilots in Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Its products abroad are not only seen as delivery tools but also as a benchmark for the technical output of China's "Smart Logistics New Infrastructure."

Future Outlook

Zelos plans to achieve a 20% unmanned substitution rate for urban logistics equipment shipments by 2030. Over the next three years, the brand will focus on further reducing "vehicle costs," aiming to bring the price of unmanned vehicles down to the level of traditional fuel trucks. As its unmanned freight infrastructure takes root in locations such as Wuhan, Hubei, Zelos is not just "building cars" but constructing a "digital capacity network" that covers the globe through unmanned driving technology.