China has taken a major step toward fully automated urban logistics with the launch of the country’s first large-scale, unmanned transportation hub in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province. The facility is designed to reduce delivery costs and accelerate the commercial viability of autonomous logistics services.
The hub operates using Level-4 self-driving delivery vehicles capable of end-to-end automation, handling everything from route optimization to final drop-off without human intervention. Advanced systems support real-time cloud dispatching, high-precision mapping, remote supervision, intelligent data analysis, and vehicle maintenance management.
Unlike earlier pilot projects limited to campuses or industrial zones, Hefei’s new center is built to serve the entire city. It supports a wide range of delivery use cases, including parcel logistics, university services, business parks, and urban retail distribution. This citywide deployment allows autonomous delivery to scale beyond controlled environments and reach real-world commercial demand.
A key innovation behind the hub is its “transport capacity as a service” model. Instead of purchasing and managing autonomous vehicles themselves, businesses can access driverless delivery on demand through the center. This approach significantly lowers adoption barriers and shifts autonomous logistics from an experimental technology to a practical operational tool.
Officials involved in the project estimate that companies using the service—particularly in e-commerce, retail, and manufacturing—could reduce logistics costs by as much as 60%. The scale achieved by centralized operations is expected to be critical in making unmanned delivery profitable for both providers and users.
While Hefei has already supported extensive testing of autonomous vehicles, industry observers note that large-scale deployment still requires continuous refinement of technology, regulations, and operational management. Maintaining reliability across diverse urban scenarios remains a key challenge.
Looking ahead, China’s low-speed autonomous vehicle market is projected to grow rapidly. Industry estimates suggest annual sales could surpass 47,000 units this year, with volumes potentially doubling by 2030 as cities expand commercial use of unmanned logistics solutions.
Hefei’s initiative positions the city as an early leader in urban autonomous transport, offering a blueprint for how driverless logistics could be deployed at scale across China’s cities.
