Robovan Fleets

cargo · people movers · depots

China runs tens of thousands of driverless delivery vans. The robovan is the first autonomous vehicle sold by the thousand, and it is Chinese and battery-electric.

Driverless delivery vans deployed by operator: Zelos more than 20,000 (February 2026) and Neolix more than 10,000 (October 2025), both Chinese, from company figures. Robovan types: cargo robovans from Zelos, Neolix and WeRide for parcel and grocery runs; people movers such as Holon, May Mobility and WeRide Robobus; and Tesla's 20-seat Robovan concept unveiled in 2024. DRIVERLESS DELIVERY VANS DEPLOYED, BY OPERATOR Zelos (China) 20,000+ Neolix (China) 10,000+ Zelos, Feb 2026; Neolix, Oct 2025 (company figures) ROBOVAN TYPES Cargo robovan Zelos, Neolix, WeRide parcel and grocery runs People mover Holon, May Mobility WeRide Robobus Concept Tesla Robovan 20-seat, unveiled 2024
Zelos fleet
20,000+
Neolix fleet
10,000+
Neolix reach
15 countries
Powertrain
Battery-electric
Hub
Fleets

Finding

China has turned the small driverless delivery van into a volume product, while the US has no comparable fleet

Beijing-based Zelos said its robovan fleet passed 20,000 vehicles across 300 cities in February 2026, and Neolix reported more than 10,000 deployed in 15 countries in October 2025. Their customers are China's express carriers, which use the vans to shuttle parcels from sorting centers to delivery stations and lockers, mostly at night.

These are small, low-speed, battery-electric vans with no cab, built around a cargo box and a lidar-and-camera autonomy kit. They succeed for the same reasons delivery vans electrify first: short fixed routes, a depot at each end and one buyer for many units. Neolix says a van runs more than 10 delivery cycles per night shift. Local rules matter as much as the technology: dozens of Chinese cities issue road permits for driverless delivery vehicles.

The US went another way. Nuro, which built the R2 delivery pod, moved to licensing its software and now supplies the autonomy stack for the Lucid Gravity robotaxi Uber plans to deploy. Passenger robovans run in controlled settings: Beep operates Holon movers for Jacksonville's transit authority, May Mobility runs driverless service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia (Toyota Sienna, hybrid), and China's WeRide runs Robobus shuttles in several countries. Tesla's 20-seat Robovan remains a concept. Sidewalk-scale delivery is covered in Sidewalk Delivery Bots.

Operators

Leading robovan operators

Status is an ElectronsX summary; fleet sizes are company figures.

Robovan operators
OperatorTypePowertrainStatus
Zelos (Jiushi)Cargo robovanBattery-electric20,000+ vans, 300 cities (February 2026)
NeolixCargo robovan (X3, X6)Battery-electric10,000+ vans, 15 countries (October 2025)
White RhinoCargo robovanBattery-electricCommercial in Chinese cities
WeRideRobovan W5 and RobobusBattery-electricCommercial in China; shuttles in Asia, Europe and the Middle East
Beep with HolonPeople moverBattery-electricJacksonville transit service; Holon builds movers in Jacksonville
May MobilityMinivan shuttleHybrid (Toyota Sienna)Driverless service in Georgia and pilots elsewhere
NuroAutonomy licensingSupplies Lucid-Uber robotaxiEnded own delivery-pod rollout
Tesla Robovan20-seat people moverBattery-electricConcept, unveiled October 2024

Segments

Robovan segments

Cargo volumes and seat counts are typical ranges.

Robovan segments
SegmentSizeUseConstraint
Cargo robovansAbout 3-6 cubic meters, no cabParcel transfer, grocery, store replenishmentCity road permits, curb access
Passenger robovans (people movers)8-20 passengersCampuses, airports, transit loopsPassenger safety approval, low speeds
Dual-use modular platformsSwappable cargo or seating moduleMixed day and night dutyMostly concepts

Adoption

Adoption order

Robovan adoption
SegmentDriversConstraints
Cargo robovansE-commerce volume, night delivery, labor costPermits outside China; urban traffic
People moversFixed loops in airports, campuses and transitRegulatory approval; slow speeds limit ridership
Dual-use platformsHigher utilization across shiftsNo volume product yet

Stack

Robovan hardware and software stack

Robovan stack
LayerTypical hardware or softwareRole
PowertrainSmall LFP packs on cargo vans; 60-120 kWh on full-size vansFits one night shift of urban loops
SensorsLidar (Hesai, RoboSense), cameras, radarLow-speed urban perception with redundancy
ComputeNVIDIA DRIVE Orin, Horizon Robotics JourneyOnboard perception and planning
Connectivity5G cellularRemote assistance, OTA updates
DepotCharging bays or battery swap, loading docksCharge and load between runs
Fleet softwareDispatch tied to parcel sort schedulesMatch van departures to sort-center output

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
Robovan Fleets
Sources
Zelos via Dealroom (February 2026); Neolix via The Robot Report (October 2025); WeRide, Beep, May Mobility, Nuro, Tesla company releases
Updated
October 2026