In the rapidly evolving logistics industry, the autonomous delivery market is attracting unprecedented attention and investment. As e-commerce and logistics sectors flourish, consumer demand for delivery services continues to grow, with driverless solutions gaining traction for their speed, safety, and efficiency. Major industry players and startups are now racing to secure their positions in this competitive landscape.
Capital Flows Into Autonomous Delivery Sector
The driverless delivery industry has become the new darling of capital markets. Despite operational challenges faced by some L4 autonomous driving companies, interest in unmanned delivery and smart port solutions continues to surge. In 2024 alone, significant funding rounds included SiEngine's billion-yuan Series B, Haomo's $100+ million B+ round, and Jiusi's nearly $100 million Series A financing. New Stone's $85 million Series C further demonstrates the sector's strong momentum.
Market Demand and Technological Advancements
Consumer expectations for faster, more reliable deliveries are driving adoption of autonomous solutions. Technological breakthroughs in autonomous driving, IoT, and artificial intelligence have significantly improved vehicle performance and stability, enabling commercial deployment. Supportive government policies have further optimized the industry environment and boosted investor confidence.
Industry Giants Make Strategic Moves
Major players have been actively expanding in this space since 2016. Meituan has completed over 1 million autonomous deliveries in Beijing's Shunyi district by September 2023. JD Logistics operates smart delivery vehicles across 30 Chinese cities, while Alibaba's "Xiaomanlv" robots have processed more than 10 million orders since their 2020 launch. SF Express joined the race in 2023 with its own delivery vehicles deployed in Beijing.
The Commercialization Challenge
With China's 132 billion annual parcel volume in 2023, last-mile delivery accounts for 50-60% of total logistics costs - presenting prime opportunities for automation. Companies like New Stone, Haomo, White Rhino, and Jiusi are leading the charge through technological innovation and strategic partnerships.
New Stone has achieved commercial operations in multiple cities since its 2018 founding. Haomo's "Little Magic Camel" vehicles have completed nearly 300,000 deliveries with profitability in several sectors. White Rhino has established seamless operations across numerous urban markets, while Jiusi's vehicles now serve over 50 Chinese cities.
Jiusi CEO Kong Qi identifies urban delivery as the second-largest market after trunk logistics, emphasizing cost reduction and capacity improvement as key competitive advantages.
Projected Market Growth
McKinsey predicts 80% of parcels will be delivered autonomously in the future, with China's low-speed autonomous vehicle sales reaching 190,000 units by 2025 - including 80,000 logistics vehicles. The market value is expected to hit billions of yuan.
As technology matures, the industry is entering a new phase of commercial competition. Success will depend less on capital investment and more on operational efficiency and cost reduction. Companies with strong technical capabilities, operational experience, and market insight will likely lead the next wave of innovation in autonomous delivery.
