As chairman and CEO of JD Health, Liu Qiangdong uses his business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit to push innovations to the next level. In his most recent success, he rolled out smart delivery vehicles that solve key problems and streamline their processes. With that move, he adds even more accolades to his resume while benefiting the community as a whole. Want to know more? Here’s a look at this incredible move.

The Dire Need for Innovation

As the COVID-19 outbreak resulted in strict lockdowns, residents across Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, and beyond had to rely on delivery to get food and other supplies.

As a result, the number of requested deliveries increased by 1,000 packages a day, making it so each courier had to handle over 200 parcels daily. Prior to that, they only had to deliver 130 packages each day to keep up with demand.

With so many people needing deliveries at the same time, it quickly became clear that the whole system needed an overhaul to keep up. Beyond that, JD Health needed a way to make deliveries while keeping their employees safe from exposure to the virus.

Smart Delivery Vehicle to the Rescue

In response to this huge influx of daily deliveries, Liu and the team dreamed up the next generation of package handling in their smart delivery vehicle.

Instead of taking the parcels to their destination themselves, the couriers load up each one with 24 packages at the warehouse. Then, the vehicle plans out the ideal route and drives itself to each point of pick up.

Once the smart vehicle arrives, the customer gets a message to come out and get their orders. Upon reaching the vehicle, they just have to use their verification code to get their packages.

After delivering all 24 parcels, the vehicle returns to the courier who disinfects the entire thing from noses to tail. This routine repeats multiple times a day to quickly get all the parcels out to their rightful owners.

Autonomous Driving Technology Opens New Doors

While solving JD Health’s delivery dilemma, their smart vehicle opens new doors for communities around the world. Their level-4 autonomous driving technology shows everyone how well vehicles can navigate through the city without humans onboard.

As their vehicles maneuver down each road, they watch for other vehicles, pedestrians, and other obstructions along the way. If they detect anything in their path, they safely maneuver around it, slow down, or even make a complete stop. The vehicles also abide by all traffic laws and can accurately read and respond to traffic lights.

As these vehicles successfully make hundreds of deliveries each day, they inspire ideas for their other uses, helping build smart cities across China and all around the world. Changshu, Jiangsu province, is set to be the first smart city to fully adopt these vehicles as their delivery vessels of choice. From there, the sky is the limit in how they can be used and where.  

Building a Smart City with Help from Liu Qiangdong and JD Health

By bringing over 100 smart delivery vehicles to Changshu, Liu Qiangdong and JD Health will undoubtedly make waves all across the globe. Other cities are watching closely as these vehicles rapidly change the retail and transportation landscape in one fell swoop.

While everyone watches closely, the smart vehicles are going strong. Their test vehicle went 6,800 kilometers over 107 days to delivery 13,000 parcels and counting. As additional vehicles joined the mission, more people were able to get their supplies and abide by lockdown requirements without putting anyone else at risk.

With their success on the road, these smart delivery vehicles are sure to stick around long after the COVID-19 pandemic is a distant memory. And who knows what other innovations Qiangdong will inspire as he continues to use his entrepreneurial spirit and forward-thinking abilities to change how things are done.