Recently, China Post EMS launched its first batch of mass-produced autonomous heavy trucks for operational routes. As part of the plan to enhance the safety, green development, and efficiency of postal trunk line transportation, the initial phase will open two high-traffic autonomous heavy truck routes in North China and South China. Over time, this will expand to more regions nationwide, fully supporting the construction of China’s “Smart Post.”
A Thousand-Mile Intelligent Journey: Overview of Autonomous Heavy Truck Routes
The regular operation routes for these autonomous heavy trucks span over 1,000 kilometers each, connecting three major economic zones with the highest economic activity and freight traffic in the country: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Xiamen Special Economic Zone. The service scenarios cover postal universal service, EMS (Express Mail Service), and express transportation business.
As a large state-owned enterprise and a Fortune 500 company, China Post has an efficient, nationwide and global coverage express service network integrating land and air transportation. It is the only company in China with outlets covering all townships, achieving a 100% coverage rate for township outlets and postal services in established villages. The “mission must be accomplished” green postal vehicles, as an essential tool for postal business transmission, place particular emphasis on the safety, reliability, and energy efficiency of autonomous heavy trucks, which are crucial indicators for trunk logistics transportation.
Green Power and Safety Guardian: Smart Heavy Trucks Elevate Trunk Transportation
This joint autonomous operation utilizes the JAC K7+ intelligent heavy truck, co-developed by JAC Motors and Plus.ai. The K7+ is specially designed for the express and logistics market, boasting extreme safety, comfort, low fuel consumption, and powerful performance. Notably, the K7+ intelligent heavy truck has passed various vehicle-grade certification tests to ensure the reliability and safety of the vehicle in all application scenarios. The fully upgraded Plus.ai Pilot 2.0 system, used for the first time in mass-produced autonomous heavy trucks, offers advanced functions such as autonomous overtaking, roadside parking, merging prediction, and partial construction avoidance. These features ease driver fatigue and provide operational convenience. The truck can achieve up to 10% fuel savings, significantly reducing carbon emissions and offering industry value for green logistics construction.
With the development and improvement of policies, regulations, industrial chains, and technology, the application of mass-produced autonomous heavy trucks is set to accelerate. In the future, JAC Heavy Trucks will continue to push for product innovation and upgrades, consolidating its superior advantages in safety, efficiency, energy-saving, and environmental protection for autonomous heavy trucks. This will create typical application benchmarks for new productivity in trunk logistics, lead the industry in exploring more application scenarios, and ultimately generate substantial economic and social value for the logistics industry.
