(Yicai Global) April 7 -- Beijing-based Meituan, JD.Com and Neolix are making autonomous delivery vans available in Shanghai to help with the problem of getting daily essentials to communities in lockdown.

Delivery giant Meituan’s new self-driving vans can carry more than 150 kilograms of goods at any one time, and it takes about 10 minutes for a delivery to reach a neighborhood from Meituan Grocery.

Each delivery is fully disinfected. It is the seventh time that Meituan has offered its automated vehicles to move supplies during local anti-epidemic measures. They were previously used in Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Chengdu.

Community volunteers fetch supplies from Meituan’s self-driving delivery vans.

Meituan’s robo-vans are transported on trucks to Shanghai from Beijing.

Neolix’s vans have been used in six communities during the lockdown in Shanghai’s Pudong district, providing unmanned vegetable deliveries and selling nearly 2.5 tons of veggies as of April 1. The self-driving logistics startup has also helped to distribute and disinfect anti-epidemic goods in Shenzhen, Suzhou and Chengdu.

Residents buy vegetables and fruit from Neolix’s vans.

Dada, an on-demand service platform backed by JD.Com, China’s second-biggest online retailer, has also provided unmanned vehicles to deliver goods to residents.

Dada’s unmanned open platform serves retailers in the evening.

On March 28, JD Logistics’ smart express vans arrived in Shanghai to ensure the delivery of necessities.

JD Logistics’ smart delivery vans carry anti-epidemic goods.

JD’s smart delivery vans can carry about 100 kilograms of goods and can travel up to 80 kilometers.

Editor: Tom Litting