An unmanned delivery vehicle is at work in Deqing county. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Recently, on the streets of Deqing in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, several unmanned vehicles in black and white panda colors have caught the eyes of many passersby.

These unmanned vehicles, designed for last-mile deliveries, boast a 1,000-kilogram load capacity and a 200-kilometer range on a single charge. Utilizing automatic power-changing technology, they can operate non-stop, 24 hours a day.

Equipped with two induction radars, 12 cameras, and voice prompts for various actions, these vehicles can automatically avoid pedestrians, slow down in advance before zebra crossing, and change lanes when encountering obstacles.

During deliveries, couriers need only to load parcels manually and set the origin and destination on a mobile app. After the unmanned vehicle arrives at the designated station, the door can be opened by scanning a QR code on the vehicle.

"Currently in the debugging phase, the five unmanned delivery vehicles mainly cover six service points, operating on four routes. Each vehicle can deliver over 5,000 parcels per day," said Shi Huabiao, director of the general service department at Deqing Postal Administration.

This innovation not only enhances the efficiency of labor but also streamlines operations, reducing delivery times and easing the workload at stations. Plans are underway to expand the fleet to around 10 vehicles by year-end, according to an authority at Huzhou Postal Administration.