China Tests First Automotive Grade Driverless Delivery Vehicle Equipped with Huawei MDC
A driverless delivery vehicle named “Pioneer” developed by Juzhen Data Tech has started alpha testing for application scenarios at the headquarters of ZTO Express in China. This self-driving vehicle is the country’s first automotive grade driverless delivery vehicle capable of operating on motor vehicle lanes with a top speed of over 70 kilometers per hour and a cruising range of 240 kilometers.
Last-mile driverless delivery vehicles are generally used in closed places such as campuses, residential units and parks. Through online reservation or telephone communication, driverless vehicles can deliver goods to recipients’ doors within the specified time. At present, driverless delivery vehicles in China have been widely used in last-mile delivery. Express delivery companies such as ZTO Express, YTO Express, Cainiao, EMS, Suning and JD.com have all put them into use.
In the internal venue of ZTO Express headquarters, the express outlets pack the parcels for the same delivery station, and then load them with the “Pioneer” driverless vehicles. Upon arrival, the driverless vehicles will be unloaded, and then reloaded with the ready-to-deliver parcels at the station, and then they drive to the residential units. At the gate of the residential unit, the courier delivers personal parcels.
In the process of the application scenario alpha testing, the driverless vehicle simulates the actions of stopping at delivery stations, stopping to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings, avoiding obstacles, and other functions, and shows the lighting language of interaction with traffic participants in different states. This application scenario test will last for one month.
The car is developed by Juzhen Data Tech and equipped with Huawei MDC intelligent driving computing platform. Juzhen Data Tech is a technology enterprise focusing on the R&D of new energy delivery vehicles, autonomous delivery vehicles and last-mile automated delivery services. It is the first autonomous driving technology company to qualify for national vehicle production in China.
The body of the “Pioneer” driverless delivery vehicle is equipped with 2 millimeter wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars. With its high-precision mapping and positioning system, 360° blind zone-free information sensing is realized, and centimeter-level ranging and positioning accuracy ensures driving safety to the greatest extent. The Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) technology, autonomous driving chassis-by-wire technology, control software algorithm, hardware integration, data acquisition and sensing system algorithm, and other functions have all been independently developed by Juzhen Data Tech.
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Regarding the timeline for the product’s wide application in the future, Jin Renqun, director of ZTO Express Development Research Center, said that the “Pioneer” driverless delivery vehicle can’t get a wide range of priority at present, and it is planned to spread to campuses, residential units, industrial parks and other scenes covered by ZTO Express within one to two years, but it will be possible to really move towards the urban road within two to three years.
