SF Express, Plus to cooperate on autonomous freight pilot program

SF Express will cooperate with Plus, a leading company in self-driving truck technology, for China's first commercial freight pilot project after the latter's supervised autonomous trucks have driven over 100,000 km autonomously with zero safety-related disengagements.

As part of the ongoing pilot, Plus is running its supervised autonomous trucks on two long-haul routes - from China's Wuhan to Wuxi, which is about 900 miles round-trip - and Changshu to Wuhan, which is 1,000 miles round-trip.

Data from the trips demonstrate 20 percent fuel savings, and the operators have reported improved peace of mind and enhanced comfort.

In partnership with fleet operator Zhihong Logistics, Plus and SF Express started the pilot in December last year as part of SF Express's continued efforts to leverage advanced technology innovations to bring efficiency to its highly competitive logistics business.

"The logistics industry around the world is undergoing a sea change driven by the explosive growth of e-commerce and demand for faster deliveries. We developed PlusDrive to address the critical business issues fleets are facing today - keeping their drivers happy and productive, reducing operating costs, and meeting sustainability goals," said Shawn Kerrigan, COO and co-founder of Plus.

PlusDrive is designed to keep a professional truck operator in the vehicle to supervise the autonomous driving system. This approach allows SF Express to optimize the efficiency of its current fleet and not wait years for full driverless trucks to be ready.

"Opportunities to pilot our system with world-class fleets like SF Express enable us to demonstrate the safety, reliability and maturity of PlusDrive. We are excited to start mass production in just a few short months and to deliver this truly transformational technology to fleets," he said.