It’s hard to believe that just four decades ago Shenzhen was a fishing villageespecially when you look at its enormous avenues riding in an autonomous taxi. It’s even more incredible when you hear the drone of the drone coming to deliver the bubble tea you just ordered. This, which may sound like a futuristic dystopia, is an ordinary Thursday in the technological capital of China.
I was in China for the launch of OPPO Find X9 Ultra and my first stop was Shenzhen. A few months ago I wrote an article about what the Chinese government calls the “low-altitude economy”which encompasses different commercial uses of drones in cities, one of them is food delivery. I knew that this service existed in Shenzhen, so the first thing I did upon arriving was to find out how I could place an order. To top off this technological afternoon, I took the opportunity to try an autonomous taxi. This was my experience.
An autonomous taxi ride through Shenzhen
Drone delivery is available in various parts of the city in a type of kiosk or ‘locker’, so the first thing I had to do was go to one of these points. And what better than to do it in an autonomous taxi.
Robotaxis operating in the city of Shenzhen They are from the company Pony.ai and they offer level 4 autonomous driving, that is, they work completely without a driver. The first obstacle I encountered was that I needed a Chinese phone number To be able to request it, thank goodness a person from the travel agency had the PonyPilot+ app and offered to help me. The robotaxi took just five minutes to arrive and had a 30-minute journey ahead of it.
So that no one interferes with driving, the driver’s seat is protected by a transparent screen. Of course, the screens cannot be missing, one on the front and one on the back, nor the cameras inside. With the doors closed and the seat belt fastened, I pressed ‘start ride’ and the journey began.
I had never been in a self-driving car, so I didn’t know if I would feel uncomfortable or strange. The driving is very smooth, precise and feels completely integrated into the dense traffic of Shenzhen, So shortly after starting the trip any doubts I might have dissipated.
The main difference with a human taxi driver, in addition to that precise driving, is speed. Without being excessively slow, the robotaxi moves at a safe speedscrupulously respecting the speed limit and safety distance. The other difference is that if a car suddenly cuts you off (which happened), you don’t hear a horn or an insult towards the offender. He simply slows down, lets him pass, and goes about his business.
If we don’t touch anything, we see the detection of the environment on the screen while the car is driving. From here we can also see the general view of the journey and control various aspects of the vehicle, such as the air conditioning, music or even move the passenger seat if we want to go wider.
When I arrived at the destination, the car looked for a space in which to stop and a warning appeared on the screen indicating to go down on the right. In addition, there is a button that allows you to move the position of the car if for example has left us next to a puddle and we don’t want to get wet. It usually rains in Shenzhen and in fact it rained that day, so it is an interesting detail.
The flying bubble tea
As I said, my destination was one of the drone delivery kiosks from Meituan, the most popular delivery app in China. Since it was raining I had doubts about whether the service would be operational, but as soon as I got off the robotaxi I saw a drone flying over the park carrying a yellow box. From what I was told, rain is not a problem, but wind does usually cause service interruptions.
Next to the delivery kiosk we had a sign with the QR to place the order and the restaurants associated with this service (because no, you can’t order just anything). A Chinese phone number was also needed here, so I needed help like with the taxi. In this case we manage everything through WeChat, so I didn’t see how he placed the order, but I can tell you that From Meituan you can order literally everythingfrom food to making an appointment with the dentist.
The first thing that caught my attention was that there was a queue. I had about five people in front of me waiting for their orders and they all looked like they were curious people who, like me, wanted to put this drone delivery thing to the test.
Delivery is made with millimeter precision and there was not a single incident in the orders that arrived. The drone arrives and is positioned just above the kiosk, which opens the top to receive the package, and descends in a perfect straight line to deposit it inside. After a few seconds, the screen asks us for a four-digit pin and the door opens so we can collect our order.
All orders arrive in the same packaging; a square yellow and white box made of hard plastic and whose closure is velcro. Once we have removed the order from inside, we must dismantle the box and flatten it to be able to place it in the container next to the kiosk.
Orders take 25 minutes to arrive at that location, so between one thing and another, I had a good time there. There were only five people in front of me and it was a rainy day, but they told me that on days with better weather the lines are much longer and, although the time starts counting from the moment you place the order, there was a moment when two deliveries came together and one of the drones had to wait a few minutes. At the point where the kiosk is there are no cafes, but right next door there is a shopping center that you can reach in less than 10 minutes walking. That is to say, that If you are in a hurry it is not the best option.
Reality is not so futuristic (at the moment)
When I wrote that article about drones, I imagined a Shenzhen where you looked at the sky and delivery drones were common. The reality is that today they are still a rarity, almost a tourist attraction rather than something that city people use on a daily basis. What you do see (a lot) are the delivery people on bicycles and electric motorcycles. I also saw a few robotaxis on the streets of Shenzhen, but if I compare it with traditional taxis from apps like Didi, They are clearly an almost laughable minority.
The question that arises when faced with this type of autonomous systems is if they will end up replacing the workers. They already have the technology and it works with almost surgical precision, the challenge is the volume. In China, 5,400 packages are delivered per second and in 2023 there was more than 6 million taxis. This does not mean that the replacement will not occur, but I doubt that it will be complete and, above all, that it will be quick.
To finish, I’ll tell you what it all cost me. I paid 106 yuan for a half-hour ride in a robotaxi and three bubble teas, which in exchange are 13.20 euros.
Images | Amparo Babiloni, Xataka
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