Chinese intelligent heavy-duty truck startup Zeron announced on Thursday a 1.2 billion yuan ($167 million) funding round, underscoring growing investor interest in the emerging market for electric and autonomous heavy-duty trucks.

The financing comes just six months after the company completed a 500 million yuan Series A round in mid-2025.

The latest round was jointly led by CATL Puquan Capital, Momenta and NIO Capital.

Industry observers note that the presence of major strategic investors highlights rising confidence in the electrification and automation of China's heavy-duty trucking sector.

Founded less than four years ago, Zeron focuses on developing intelligent new-energy heavy trucks and autonomous driving systems.

The company says it has built full-stack capabilities covering both vehicle hardware and end-to-end autonomous driving software.

Despite having a team of just over 200 employees, Zeron has already launched two major truck series equipped with its self-developed electric drive axle and thermal management systems.

By the end of 2025, the company's cumulative sales had reached nearly 1,600 units, with sales in the second half of the year surging by almost 300 percent compared with the previous six months.

Zeron's founder and CEO Huang Zehua said the company chose to focus first on building the vehicle platform itself rather than entering autonomous driving solely as a software provider.

"Many startups prefer to begin with something easier, but we decided from the beginning to tackle the hardest part — the vehicle itself," Huang said.

The company has already deployed an end-to-end autonomous driving system based on multimodal large models and is testing it in real logistics scenarios.

According to the company, regular unmanned operations are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.

Cao Xudong, CEO of Momenta, said the company has now invested in Zeron four times and remains confident about its prospects.

"We have witnessed the team's steady progress over the past few years," Cao said. "The potential for autonomous heavy trucks is enormous, and that strengthens our confidence in Zeron's future."

Investors say the rapid electrification of China's freight transport sector, combined with advances in autonomous driving, could create new opportunities for intelligent truck manufacturers in the coming years.