Aug 26 2026
In the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, autonomous logistics vehicles are also nocturnal, with more than 100 units now serving some 400+ nighttime delivery routes citywide.
It’s nearly mid-night, but at this local logistics center, the night shift is just hitting its stride.
Workers are packing autonomous delivery vans with presorted parcels that will be delivered to “last-mile” destinations. From there, human workers take over for the final leg of the trip to various residencies when the sun comes up.
In March this year, Shenzhen became China’s first city to grant road access and operational permits for special-purpose autonomous vehicles during after-dark hours.
Since then, nighttime delivery routes have expanded rapidly from just two to nearly 440, with some stretching underground to seamlessly link road transport with the city’s subway network.
Data shows that this “road-plus-subway” route alone has moved more than two million parcels so far this year, cutting transit time by half compared to traditional delivery methods.