An unmanned delivery vehicle of SF Express operates on the road in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Li Wenping]

Five unmanned delivery vehicles of SF Express hit the streets of Jiaxing for the first time on Jan 31, as part of a trial operation in Nanhu district.

The vehicles, equipped with laser radars and cameras, can sense the environment, identify traffic signals and obstacles, carry up to 300 parcels each and travel up to 200 kilometers on a single charge.

The vehicles are operating in the Tatai Road Innovation Belt area, delivering parcels from SF Express's branch to five stations in the area - Jiaxing Science and Technology City, Zhejiang Tsinghua Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, Zhejiang Institute of Advanced Technology Chinese Academy of Science, Jiaxing Software Park and AccuPath Medical.

Chen Jianqiang, the head of SF Express in the area, said that the unmanned delivery vehicles could help ease the shortage of delivery staff during the Spring Festival.

The vehicle has a maximum speed of 50 km per hour, and its battery can be replaced in as little as 30 seconds, ensuring 24-hour uninterrupted operation and great reducing delivery times.

More unmanned delivery vehicles will be launched in the future, and the intelligent network vehicles will also be used for logistics, passenger transport, and road cleaning to boost the development of the intelligent network industry.