Auckland-based Etrucks has been appointed the Australian and New Zealand distributor for Chinese electric truck manufacturer Zeron, with the company’s flagship battery-electric prime mover scheduled to arrive in both markets by January 2027. The first model to be introduced will be the Jingzhe, a 6×4 prime mover powered by a 600kWh CATL chassis-mounted battery. The truck produces up to 1060hp and features Zeron’s proprietary Matrix integrated electric drive axle system which combines the motor, transmission, axle housing and power take-off into a single assembly. According to the company, the drivetrain delivers around 94% efficiency with a range of 325km at 49t highway speeds and 410km at metro speeds. The vehicle can recharge from 20% to 80% in 39 minutes using 4 x 300A fast charging. Etrucks director Ross Linton says the appointment will bring a new generation of electric heavy trucks to operators in Australia and New Zealand. “Zeron is a 2022 startup with 2000 trucks already running in China,” he says. “Their focus is to build the most efficient and reliable EV platforms to enable the roll out of L4 autonomy for road transport.” Linton says Zeron has attracted significant backing since its launch. “Zeron have attracted a serious portfolio of investors. They remain the only truck manufacturer that CATL have invested in directly.” He says the company’s founders bring extensive expertise to the business. Zeron was founded by three senior executives with extensive experience in autonomous driving and heavy truck manufacturing. Chief executive Huang Zehua co-founded autonomous trucking company TuSimple and led development of its autonomous driving systems before the company became the first autonomous driving business to list on the Nasdaq. President Zhang Hongsong previously held senior engineering roles at SANY Heavy Trucks and Beijing Foton Daimler, while chief operating officer Zhang Wei has more than 25