Driverless delivery cars 'from the next century' are causing pure chaos on China's city streets

Published on Jan 14, 2026 at 7:08 AM (UTC-5)
by Daisy Edwards

Last updated on Jan 14, 2026 at 12:22 PM (UTC-5)
Edited by Emma Matthews

Driverless delivery cars 'from the next century' are causing pure chaos on China's city streets
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Driverless delivery cars ‘from the next century’ are causing pure chaos on China’s city streets, and the internet cannot look away from these little robots on a rampage.

A wave of clips shows small autonomous vans stubbornly trying to finish their routes, no matter what’s in front of them, be it a curb, a person, or another vehicle.

Some look futuristic, others look like they’re playing bumper cars on the roads.

Either way, the result is the same: chaos, comedy, and a series of robots who will stop at nothing to fulfill their duties.

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Driverless delivery cars ‘from the next century’ are on a rampage

The comedians of the tech world seem to be self-driving Chinese delivery robots, who have been going viral online.

In the viral videos, the self-driving vans do not politely pause when things get weird.

They push through roadworks, trundle across broken surfaces, and in one case even keep rolling with an abandoned motorcycle seemingly lodged under the wheel arch.

One popular clip shows an autonomous Neolix X3 bouncing violently down a potholed gravel path, its chunky battery setup doing the suspension.

Other posts show similarly sized delivery bots getting confused by messy streets, including one freaking out over a road scattered with corn cobs.

The most meme-worthy moment might be the van that drove straight through wet cement and got itself stuck, despite people trying to stop it.

Another older clip shows a woman in Shenzhen attempting to protect vegetables drying by the roadside, only for a robovan to plow right through her setup.

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They are causing pure chaos on China’s city streets

The internet is laughing, but the scale of these robot deliveries is no joke.

Neolix has said it deployed more than 10,000 robovans across 300 cities as of October, with Qingdao alone reportedly home to over 1,200 self-driving cars that have logged more than 31 million miles.

Another company, Rino.ai, has also been rolling out fleets, with reports of over 2,000 vans operating across 170 cities.

These delivery vehicles are typically used on fixed routes between hubs and neighborhood drop-off points, often at low speeds and with remote monitoring.

Many rely on cameras, radar, and pre-mapped routes rather than true go-anywhere autonomy, which helps explain why unexpected obstacles can turn them into the internet’s court jesters.

For now, the boom in China’s driverless delivery cars is giving the world a preview of autonomous logistics in the wild, complete with all the comedy fails that come with it.

Daisy is a technology and automotive journalist covering artificial intelligence, consumer tech, Apple news, cryptocurrency, emerging technologies, and transportation innovation. Since joining the team in 2025, she has reported on everything from AI-powered startups and major iOS updates to viral car stories and the latest developments shaping transportation and the digital economy. Drawing on her background in automotive journalism and a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, Daisy specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, engaging reporting for a global audience. Her work spans cutting-edge technology, innovative vehicles, and the people driving change across both industries. Daisy has gained first-hand access to some of the world's most talked-about technologies and innovators, including meeting Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot during its first European appearance in London. She has also discussed the future of space exploration with an astronaut, bringing unique insights and real-world perspectives to her coverage of emerging technology.