FedEx Express announced that it is collaborating with Neolix, an autonomous technology, to test an autonomous delivery vehicle in China.

In a statetement, it said this is the first time in its operations in China that FedEx has partnered with a local Chinese technology company to test the use of a driverless vehicle.

FedEx said this is its latest effort to embrace technological innovation and deploy autonomous vehicles to embrace sustainable and intelligent logistics in China.

Zero-emission vehicle

The unmanned delivery vehicle is zero emission, according to FedEx. Additionally, the cargo box of the autonomous vehicle can be converted into a temperature-controlled compartment and a smart parcel locker.

“FedEx Express is committed to developing and leveraging technologies that will help transform the logistics industry, enhance customer experience and reduce the environmental impact of our business operations," said Eddy Chan, senior vice president and president, FedEx China.

“The rapid growth of e-commerce requires more flexible and efficient digital logistics solutions to solve the ‘last-mile’ delivery challenges. Our collaboration with Neolix will help us further understand the role of autonomous vehicle technology in enhancing operational flexibility and diversity, which is our latest initiative to support sustainable and intelligent logistics."

FedEx and Neolix began testing the autonomous vehicle in October 2021 in Beijing. The two companies will test a variety of operational applications in different scenarios including delivery to a campus, office building and station over different time periods and then will obtain feedback about the customer experience.

“Our collaboration with FedEx is not only in line with market development trends, but also an innovative attempt for Neolix to explore the impact on the logistics sector in addition to the retail sector,” said Enyuan Yu, CEO, Neolix.

“We hope to support the transformation and development of the logistics industry by utilizing the intelligent advantages of autonomous vehicles.”

FedEx noted that it has been exploring and developing the use of new technologies, including automation and robotics in its operations and services in various markets around the world.

To advance the “last-mile” of package delivery, in April FedEx has worked with the robotics company Nuro, to test and use Nuro's next-generation delivery robot, an autonomous delivery vehicle, in the U.S. In July, Roxo™, the FedEx SameDay Bot, an autonomous delivery device developed by FedEx in collaboration with DEKA Development Research, landed in Japan, and in September FedEx announced a collaboration with the self-driving startup Aurora and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer Paccar to test autonomous trucks in the U.S.