Yikong Zhijia

About Yikong Zhijia

Positioned at the forefront of China's push for intelligent and green mining, Beijing Yikong Zhijia Technology Co., Ltd. (also known as EACON) is a key player in providing autonomous driving solutions for the mining sector. The company was established in May 2018 by Wason Lan, a successful serial entrepreneur, and Zhang Lei, who previously led autonomous driving R&D at Yutong Bus. Lan's background includes founding and successfully exiting a gaming company, and his familiarity with the mining ecosystem through a separate venture in mining conveyor equipment informed the decision to target this specific industrial application for autonomous technology. Zhang Lei brings over a decade of experience in unmanned driving research and development.

Yikong Zhijia focuses on developing and deploying comprehensive unmanned transportation solutions specifically for open-pit mines. The company's business model centers on providing both the technology and operational services to large mining enterprises, helping them transition to smarter, safer, and more efficient operations. Its core offering is a "four-in-one" system that integrates a dispatch command platform, the single-vehicle unmanned driving system, network communications, and a collaborative operating system to manage the entire haulage process. This technology is primarily applied to wide-body mining trucks, a segment where the company believes the Chinese supply chain holds a technical advantage. By removing human drivers from harsh and dangerous mining environments, the system enhances safety, while the 24/7 operational capability of autonomous fleets improves productivity.

The company serves major players in China's energy and mining industries, including National Energy Group, State Power Investment Corporation, and Zijin Mining Group. Having deployed fleets in numerous mines, Yikong Zhijia has demonstrated its capability to manage large-scale, 24/7 operations without safety drivers, a key milestone in the commercialization of the technology. The company has secured significant funding through multiple rounds, attracting investments from prominent industrial and venture capital firms like Zijin Mining, NIO Capital, and CATL. These funds are allocated towards advancing research and development, expanding market presence, and pursuing an international growth strategy, with a focus on markets like Australia.