Shenzhen Grants First Nighttime Autonomous Delivery Permits; JD’s “Lone Wolf” Launches Cross-District Route from Pingshan to Longgang

Shenzhen has recently granted nighttime road access for the first time to functional autonomous vehicles. JD Logistics has launched two nighttime delivery routes totaling over 50 kilometers, connecting multiple logistics hubs between Pingshan and Longgang districts to enable overnight pre-stocking for delivery stations. At 10 p.m., JD’s “Lone Wolf” autonomous delivery vehicle departs from a Pingshan grid station loaded with fast-moving consumer goods such as fresh produce, rice, flour, and cooking oil, traveling along newly approved cross-district routes toward Longgang. This nighttime delivery initiative adopts a scheduling model of “daytime last-mile delivery, nighttime warehouse replenishment,” integrating autonomous vehicles into an around-the-clock logistics network. This approach enhances transportation efficiency while reducing reliance on human labor. The nighttime routes pass through major thoroughfares like Baohe Avenue and Pingshan Avenue. Although traffic is lighter at night, the low-light conditions pose greater challenges to the perception systems of autonomous vehicles. The approval process for nighttime road access involved three stages: corporate application, traffic impact assessment, and specialized expert review, with rigorous evaluations of technical specifications, regulatory compliance, and operational safety. Previously, Shenzhen had already launched more than 2,000 daytime autonomous delivery routes across seven districts, establishing China’s first citywide intelligent delivery network. The recent expansion to nighttime operations marks a key milestone in Shenzhen’s commercialization of autonomous driving technologies.