ZTO Express launches Taizhou's first autonomous delivery vehicles

A ZTO Express courier scans the QR code on an autonomous delivery vehicle to open its doors. [WeChat account: txfabu]

ZTO Express' branch at Huangqiao town, Taixing put two autonomous delivery vehicles into use on July 22, becoming the first company in Taizhou to do so.

The newly introduced autonomous delivery vehicles are equipped with cutting-edge technology designed to ensure safety and efficiency. The vehicles are programmed to travel at a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour and are outfitted with four advanced blind-spot cameras and a top-mounted radar sensor. Their system provides real-time voice prompts for actions such as acceleration, braking, and turning, and enables automatic deceleration when approaching traffic lights, obstacles, or intersections.

The process for using these autonomous vehicles is streamlined for ease of use. Couriers load the packages into the vehicle, and then set the starting and destination points via a mobile app. Once confirmed, the vehicle autonomously navigates to the specified location. Upon arrival, station personnel scan a QR code on the vehicle's exterior to open the doors and unload the packages. After the delivery is complete, the vehicle returns to its starting point and parks itself in a designated area.

According to the head of ZTO Express' Huangqiao branch, these delivery vehicles can accommodate about 600 to 800 packages per trip—double the capacity of manual delivery. This significantly reduces the time couriers spend on transportation, enabling them to focus on handling complaints and improving service quality.