March 17 saw the launch of the first smart driverless delivery vehicle of Shenzhen Postal Branch in ECO Park of SegPlaza, Longgang District, which will be in charge of the point-to-point delivery of mail within the Park. Customers in the Park can pick up their mail from the designated place in the cargo compartment only by offering their pick-up codes, realizing contactless delivery.

The vehicle can deliver the postal items, packages and other materials to the designated locations in accordance with the set route and stops and send messages to receivers. It is mainly applied to the places with inner roads like residential areas, commercial buildings and areas as well as industrial parks. The use of the delivery vehicle can avoid personal contact, therefore decreasing the risk of the pandemic.

The director of the Operations Management Department of Shenzhen Postal Branch said, in combination with the functions of the vehicle, they designed the delivery procedure. Firstly, the staff scan the mail code one by one and synchronously transfer such information as the name, phone number and address of the receiver to the vehicle. Then, they place each piece of the mail at the designated place in the cargo compartment in the order of the receiver’s address on the route. After loading, the vehicle will drive autonomously along the set route, identifying the road condition smartly. When the vehicle gets close to the address of the receiver, the system will be triggered to send a message to the receiver to pick up his mail at the specified stop, who can quickly collect his mail from the designated place in the cargo compartment via the pick-up code. The whole process is monitored by the system of the driverless vehicle.

The vehicle stops for about 5 to 10 minutes (adjustable) at each stop. When time is up, it moves to the next until it covers the whole route. Then it goes back to the designated place to park, waiting for the next round.

It is said that the vehicle is 1 meter in width and can contain up to 500 kilograms of mail with the loading space of 2.4 cubic meters and the cruising range of 100 kilometers. The self-driving vehicle is equipped with a camera system that monitors the condition inside and outside of it and records receivers and mail. The vehicle, carrying the first domestic L4 unmanned vehicle wire-controlled chassis, is equipped with the modularized body control system, power system, vehicle control system, intelligent anti-collision active safety system and smart lighting system to ensure the driving safety.

Going forward, Shenzhen Postal Branch will adjust and improve the information system of the vehicle according to its trial operation, further better the delivery service and promote its use.