(Yicai) Nov. 3 -- Chinese self-driving technology firm Zhuoyu Technology has launched an intelligent driver-assistance solution for commercial vehicles to expand its footprint beyond the highly competitive passenger vehicle market.

The most important thing about the commercial vehicle driver-assistance system is that it helps vehicle owners save on fuel costs, Liu Sikang, vice president of ZYT’s commercial vehicle business, told Yicai.

In real-world tests over the past two months, more than 100 commercial vehicles equipped with the system achieved a fuel saving rate of 4.5 percent to 7.5 percent, according to Liu. Based on current fuel prices, they could save about CNY20,000 to CNY30,000 (USD2,997 to USD4,496) a year.

The fuel-saving strategy is centered on artificial intelligence empowerment, Liu explained. The development cost of ZYT’s commercial vehicle driver-assistance solution is much lower than some customized solutions on the market, as it is expected to have a payback period of just one year.

Unlike passenger car owners, commercial vehicle owners decide whether to use driver-assistance systems based on cost-benefit calculations, ZYT’s Chief Executive Officer Shen Shaojie said. As a result, an intelligent driver-assistance system that can pay for itself within a year is highly attractive to them, he added.

If commercial vehicle driver-assistance systems can also help owners lower insurance costs in the future, they will likely capture an even larger market share, Shen noted.

However, if a smart driving system for commercial vehicles malfunctions, the consequences are far more serious than for passenger cars, so developers need to build in more safety redundancy to prevent “black swan” incidents, Shen pointed out.

ZYT has chosen to roll out its driver-assistance system across multiple vehicle types, including heavy-duty trucks, buses, light trucks, and vans, to improve the system’s capabilities by accumulating real-world operating data, Shen added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione