Chinese autonomous vehicle operator WeRide has unveiled a new Level 4 self-driving delivery van, developed in partnership with Jiangling Motors (JMC) and carrier ZTO Express.
The three companies will jointly undertake the Robovan’s commercial pilot operations with the view of designing purpose-built models for mass production. The Robovan’s design is based on JMC’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) model combined with WeRide’s full-stack software and hardware solutions.
Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide, said, “WeRide has always emphasized that autonomous driving technologies should be used effectively in reality to serve the society. With the introduction of Robovan, the very first L4 self-driving cargo van in China, we have heralded a new era of autonomous driving for urban logistics in the country.
“By teaming up with two key players in the sector, Jiangling Motors and ZTO Express, we continue to uphold the ‘triangle model’ of collaborating, an approach which WeRide has adopted since we developed passenger vehicles. We are aiming to deliver both smart mobility and smart logistics for cities in the future.”
Renqun Jin, vice president of ZTO Express, said, “ZTO Express has been following the application of self-driving technology in urban logistics. By drawing on our strengths in hardware and software through this cooperation, we will jointly explore a new model for smart logistics and develop an integrated autonomous driving solutions for urban logistics.”
Wenhui Jin, executive vice president of JMC, said, “This partnership will bring forth synergy which allows all parties to leverage on each other’s strengths. WeRide Robovan, one of the many achievements of this special trilateral partnership, will redefine urban logistics and inject new impetus into the industry.”
WeRide currently operates its Robotaxi, Robovan and Mini Robobus and is dedicated to pursuing L4 autonomous driving technologies on both mobility and logistics services.