China: Self-driving logistics vehicles accelerate in China's tech hub Shenzhen.

Storyline Self-driving logistics vehicles accelerate in China's tech hub Shenzhen In the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, autonomous logistics vehicles are also nocturnal, with more than 100 units now serving some 400+ nighttime delivery routes citywide. It's nearly mid-night, but at this local logistics center, the night shift is just hitting its stride. Workers are packing autonomous delivery vans with presorted parcels that will be delivered to "last-mile" destinations. From there, human workers take over for the final leg of the trip to various residencies when the sun comes up. Wang Bing, director, Shenzhen Shengli Transshipment Center, SF Express: "Our daily throughput here averages about 150,000 parcels. These are our autonomous vehicles. They run 60 trips each night, with one departing roughly every ten minutes. The vehicles can operate continuously around the clock. Since introducing them, we've seen overall efficiency jump by about 20 percent." In March this year, Shenzhen became China's first city to grant road access and operational permits for special-purpose autonomous vehicles during after-dark hours. Since then, nighttime delivery routes have expanded rapidly from just two to nearly 440, with some stretching underground to seamlessly link road transport with the city's subway network. Tan Zhubin, head, Shenzhen Futian Subway Project Business Department, SF Express: "Ten autonomous vehicles are deployed on-site for automated loading and unloading, providing efficient short-haul transfers between ground level and the subway station. An innovative off-peak freight schedule has been introduced to maximize the use of underground rail capacity. During off-peak hours, the system averages 25 subway trips per day." Data shows that this "road-plus-subway" route alone has moved more than two million parcels so far this year, cutting transit time by half compared to traditional delivery methods. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]