JD.com launches autonomous delivery vehicles in Tianjin
Chinese online retailer JD.com is bringing autonomous delivery vehicles to the streets of Tianjin.
In a statement issued on Thursday (18 January), JD.com said: “After extensive testing in campus environments, this is the first time the vehicles will be used in a public, urban setting.”
As part of an agreement with Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), Tianjin will serve as a research, manufacturing and testing base for JD’s smart logistics technology including robots, drones, and autonomous delivery vehicles.
In addition to this agreement, JD also will conduct pilot testing for its autonomous delivery vehicles in Tianjin’s Sino-Singapore Eco-city. For months, JD has been testing these robots for delivery on China’s university campuses and with its own employees around its headquarters in Beijing.
The company has also launched two of its unmanned convenience stores in Tianjin.
Meanwhile, JD.com today (22 January) announced the opening of its Paris office, as well as the appointment of Florent Courau as Managing Director for JD.com in France. Based in Paris, Florent will lead JD.com’s French operations effective immediately.
