IKEA Tests Autonomous Mini-Trucks in China Warehouses

Key Details IKEA has launched a permanent deployment of self-driving mini-trucks in Hefei, China, following a successful pilot program. The retailer partnered with Neolix to operate two electric autonomous vehicles that transport products from warehouse to store for customer pickup and shelf restocking. The vehicles completed 47,000 miles during testing. Why It Matters The results speak for themselves. Customer wait times for store pickup dropped from six hours to two hours, a 67 percent reduction. IKEA also slashed transportation costs by more than 50 percent while boosting worker efficiency. These improvements demonstrate real operational gains, not just theoretical benefits. What's Next The 11.5-foot-long vehicles operate autonomously within designated areas where road access is approved and mapped. A remote operator monitors each vehicle and can take manual control if obstacles appear. IKEA is evaluating expansion to other markets and testing autonomous home delivery in China. However, future rollouts will depend on favorable regulations and infrastructure development for autonomous vehicles in each region. For drivers, this signals the industry's direction toward automation in specific logistics functions. While these mini-trucks handle warehouse-to-store routes, long-haul trucking remains a different challenge entirely.