A startup in China will be the first company in the world to begin mass-producing self-driving delivery vehicles for some of the country's biggest commerce giants. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company Neolix has begun production on 1,000 level four autonomous vehicles that it plans to roll out in China throughout the next year. The tiny vans, which are essentially four-wheeled robots outfitted with trunks for storage, are capable of navigating their environment without any human pilot and have already garnered interest from two of China's biggest retailers: Huawei and JD.com. Neolix's robotic courier will cost around $30,000 each and could usher in a new era for e-commerce in China where companies like Alibaba have exploded in scope. In 2019 alone, Alibaba has generated about $152 billion.

A self-driving van designed to deliver groceries to your home has hit the streets of California for the first time. The distinctive orange vehicles are capable of making around 40 deliveries, at a top speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). They are designed to address the'last mile' problem of shipping, which is the most difficult for businesses to automate. If testing is successful, they could become a common sight on streets around the world in the years to come. A self-driving van designed to deliver groceries to your home has hit the streets of California for the first time.

A British online grocery store is aiming to launch the nation's first driverless delivery service. Ocado, which launched 17 years ago and makes deliveries from a string of warehouses across the country, has just started testing its first self-driving "CargoPod" truck built by U.K. tech firm Oxbotica. The 10-day trial involves the diminutive delivery vehicle trundling around a small part of London, bringing ordered groceries to the doors of existing customers. Equipped with the usual array of sensors, lasers, and cameras seen on other self-driving vehicles, the electric CargoPod has a top speed of 25 mph and can carry a total weight for 128 kg. It's designed primarily for short journeys or last-mile deliveries in urban or residential areas, taking relatively small orders to customers rather than weekly or monthly supplies.

A fleet of self-driving delivery vans could be set to hit the UK's roads as early as next year. The electric vehicles could dramatically cut harmful emissions, and would be ready for the switch to driverless technology. What's more, the makers claim the basic design means they can be built by one person in just four hours. Unveiled at Wired magazine's 2016 conference in London this month, the'autonomous ready' electric vehicles could be the delivery trucks of the future. Made by Oxfordshire-based company Charge, the vehicles will use ultra-lightweight composite materials, reducing their weight.