FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, announced that it is collaborating with Neolix, a leading company in autonomous technology, to test an autonomous delivery vehicle in China.
This is the first time in its operations in China that FedEx has partnered with a local Chinese technology company to test the use of a driverless vehicle.
This is the latest FedEx effort to embrace technological innovation and deploy autonomous vehicles to embrace sustainable and intelligent logistics in China.
The unmanned delivery vehicle is zero emission, all electric with L4 level autonomous technology which means it:
Incorporates vehicle self-driving tech with internet and intelligent cargo box tech.
Offers multiple safety features with a maximum cargo capacity of approximately 500 kg and a range of 100 km on a full charge.
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Is equipped with a technical system that can handle complex road conditions and traffic light recognition during the delivery process.
Supports driving in sunny, foggy, light rain, night and other conditions.
Additionally, the cargo box of the autonomous vehicle can be converted into a temperature-controlled compartment and a smart parcel locker.
Eddy Chan, senior vice president and president, FedEx China said: “The rapid growth of e-commerce requires more flexible and efficient digital logistics solutions to solve the ‘last-mile’ delivery challenges.
"Our collaboration with Neolix will help us further understand the role of autonomous vehicle technology in enhancing operational flexibility and diversity, which is our latest initiative to support sustainable and intelligent logistics.”
FedEx and Neolix began testing the autonomous vehicle in October 2021 in Beijing.
The two companies will test a variety of operational applications in different scenarios including delivery to a campus, office building and station over different time periods and then will obtain feedback about the customer experience.
To advance the “last-mile” of package delivery, in April FedEx has worked with the robotics company Nuro, to test and use Nuro’s next-generation delivery robot, an autonomous delivery vehicle, in the U.S.
In July, Roxo™, the FedEx SameDay Bot, an autonomous delivery device developed by FedEx in collaboration with DEKA Development Research, landed in Japan.
In September FedEx announced a collaboration with the self-driving startup Aurora and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer Paccar to test autonomous trucks in the US.
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