CaiNiao brand unmanned vehicle has been updated again

Author | Huang Yu

Editor | Wang Xiaojun

In 2025, logistics unmanned vehicles will usher in a period of large-scale commercial use.

As one of the main players, Cainiao has significantly accelerated the launch pace of logistics unmanned vehicles this year. Following the release of the upgraded GT Pro in January, on June 18, Cainiao launched the new unmanned vehicle GT-Lite and simultaneously started pre-sales.

It is reported that this model belongs to the L4 level unmanned delivery vehicle, with a body price of 21,800 yuan, but with a limited-time discount, it is only sold for 16,800 yuan, plus an annual FSD (Full Self-Driving) service fee of 20,000 yuan. In comparison, the minimum total price (body + five-year service fee) for the GT Pro when it was first launched was 149,800 yuan.

Compared to the high-end model, the GT-Lite reduces the cargo range to 100 kilometers, but has a larger capacity, higher load, faster speed, and lower price, making it suitable for short-distance transportation between delivery points and collection points.

A relevant person in charge of Cainiao told Wall Street Insight that the new affordable model and the high-end model are produced on the same platform, and the autonomous driving system is not downgraded. This model is specifically designed for delivery points to help them save on the usage costs of unmanned vehicles, ensuring that delivery points can afford and use them safely.

Clearly, to assist logistics unmanned vehicles in achieving large-scale application more quickly, Cainiao is continuously working on product and scenario adaptation.

Logistics unmanned vehicles are intelligent transportation tools based on autonomous driving technology, currently mainly used for last-mile delivery (such as from delivery points to community stations). Additionally, they can also be used for logistics transportation in closed scenarios, fresh food delivery in supermarkets, etc.

In addition to the GT-Lite, Cainiao also launched the L4 level unmanned vehicle GT in September last year and released the first upgraded GT Pro in January this year.

According to Wall Street Insight, as of the end of April this year, Cainiao has delivered hundreds of GT series unmanned vehicles and will soon exceed 1,000 units.

Moreover, Cainiao plans to gradually launch several new functional models starting from June this year, while simultaneously upgrading AI algorithms, achieving light map functionality in L4 autonomous driving, and enabling more comprehensive human-machine interaction.

Wall Street Insight learned from within Cainiao that based on the original 5 cubic meter unmanned delivery vehicle, Cainiao will soon launch functional modified models such as delivery cabinet vehicles and cold chain vehicles. They also plan to introduce unmanned vehicles with a capacity of at least 9 cubic meters, suitable for lower-cost delivery in rural logistics.

Clearly, the commercialization of Cainiao's unmanned vehicle business is accelerating.

After nearly 8 years of investment in unmanned vehicle research and development, 2024 is a year of breakthrough progress for Cainiao's unmanned vehicle business. The working scenarios for unmanned vehicles have officially shifted from closed and semi-closed parks/roads to open roads based on last-mile delivery scenarios, and its L4 level (highly automated) unmanned vehicles have officially entered mass production and sales, quickly expanding to some customers In an interview with Wall Street Insight and other media last October, Li Qiang, CTO of Cainiao Group, stated that the spring of L4 autonomous driving has arrived, with Cainiao's unmanned vehicles already deployed in many provinces across the country.

The layout of unmanned vehicles by Cainiao has significant strategic importance.

Li Qiang told Wall Street Insight that from the very beginning, Cainiao hoped to promote the digital upgrade of the entire logistics industry through data and technology, which is why Cainiao is developing unmanned vehicles, believing that unmanned vehicles are an important technology and product to drive the upgrade and transformation of the entire logistics industry.

In addition, Cainiao itself is a comprehensive logistics company that hopes to enhance its overall competitiveness by making better use of unmanned vehicles in logistics scenarios.

The logistics unmanned vehicle market is currently highly regarded.

According to Wall Street Insight, multiple companies have launched logistics unmanned vehicle products. In addition to logistics companies like Cainiao, Meituan, and JD Logistics, there are also startups like New Stoneware, Jiushi Intelligent, and White Rhino. The average price of mainstream logistics unmanned vehicles is 50,000 yuan, with the main business model being vehicle sales + FSD service fees.

Analysts at Guojin Securities pointed out that the demand for unmanned logistics vehicles is considerable and can help express logistics companies reduce costs and increase efficiency. They have been widely applied in various fields such as express delivery, takeout, B2C retail, convenience stores, and fresh home delivery, corresponding to the capacity that can be replaced in the urban distribution market, which is a trillion-yuan market.

Furthermore, according to a research report from Huayuan Securities, unmanned logistics vehicles can theoretically replace traditional transportation tools such as micro trucks, light trucks, and freight tricycles, potentially replacing up to 4.44 million commercial vehicles annually, corresponding to an annual market scale of 207.1 billion yuan for unmanned vehicles. According to the State Post Bureau, by the end of 2024, over 6,000 L4-level logistics unmanned vehicles are expected to be in operation, indicating significant penetration potential in the market.

Additionally, according to the "Forecast of Incremental Output Value of Integrated Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry," under a neutral forecast, the incremental output value of urban last-mile unmanned delivery in China is expected to reach 12.8 billion yuan and 97.7 billion yuan by 2025 and 2030, respectively.

Against the backdrop of technological breakthroughs, product price reductions, road rights opening, and policy support, logistics unmanned vehicles are entering a period of large-scale commercial use.

Wan Lin, CEO of Cainiao Group, pointed out at the 2024 Global Smart Logistics Summit that after long-term accumulation and construction, unmanned vehicles and autonomous driving have basically crossed the technical threshold in the logistics industry, and the integration with the entire business and processes has reached the stage of large-scale application.

According to another research report from Guojin Securities, thanks to the rapid cost reduction of core components, the decreased demand for intelligent driving sensor hardware brought about by algorithm upgrades, and economies of scale, there is a foundation for large-scale commercialization of unmanned delivery, with prices of multiple logistics unmanned vehicles significantly decreasing.

Moreover, China's policies are vigorously promoting the development of unmanned logistics vehicles. For example, in May, the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments jointly issued the "Action Plan for Accelerating the Development of Digital and Intelligent Supply Chains," clearly proposing to promote unmanned delivery vehicles and other intelligent devices to reduce logistics costs and improve supply chain efficiency; many local governments have also introduced supporting policies related to unmanned driving and autonomous driving.

Li Dan, an analyst at Zheshang Securities, stated that as unmanned vehicle technology matures, logistics unmanned vehicles are transitioning from the "technical verification" stage to the "commercial positive cycle." With accelerated policy openness and continuously decreasing costs, the industry is expected to reach a turning point for large-scale commercial use by 2025 Autonomous driving will first be widely implemented in the logistics industry, but to become a leader in this field, players need to make more efforts