• Road trials part of wider partnership between FairPrice Group and L4 autonomous vehicle company Zelos to introduce autonomous vehicles into FairPrice Group’s fleet
• Upon successful completion of the public road trial, FairPrice Group will use autonomous vehicles for transportation of palletised goods between its distribution centres

SINGAPORE, 24 OCTOBER 2024 –  FairPrice Group (FPG) announced today a milestone in its commitment to sustainable logistics; becoming the first organisation in Singapore to receive approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the final stages of trials to use autonomous vehicles on public roads for cargo transportation. This initiative is part of an ongoing partnership with autonomous driving technology company Zelos Technology to incorporate autonomous vehicles into FPG’s vehicle fleet.

Upon successful completion of the trial, FPG will add Zelos Z10s – autonomous vehicles with a load capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes, range of up to 210 km, and 10 m³ of cargo space – to its fleet that will transfer palletised goods between its Benoi and Joo Koon distribution centres. The Zelos Z10 is the first fully driverless autonomous vehicle designed for the logistics sector to receive the LTA’s M1 permit, a required licence for operating autonomous vehicles on public roads. Through the pilot, FPG aims to enhance operational efficiencies and drive greater sustainability outcomes across its supply chain business.

Vipul Chawla, Group CEO, FairPrice Group, said: “These public road trials are the culmination of many months of hard work from our teams and partners to break new ground on the use of autonomous vehicles in Singapore. By integrating autonomous vehicles into our supply chain operations, we aim to improve our productivity, reduce our carbon footprint, and ultimately make every day a little better for our customers, our people, and the planet.”

The ongoing public road trial comprises two phases – in the first phase, which started on 18 October 2024, the autonomous vehicle will go through daily and nightly test drives, accompanied by a safety vehicle. This phase will conclude once the autonomous vehicle satisfies the LTA’s rigorous standards for autonomous vehicle road safety. The second phase will involve the autonomous vehicle taking daily and nightly test drives without an accompanying safety vehicle. This phase will also conclude upon final approval from the LTA.

Zeng Qiao Jia, Chief Supply Chain officer, FairPrice Group, shared: “FairPrice Group is Singapore’s largest retailer, which means our supply chain plays a critical role in ensuring that shelves are stocked, and essentials are kept within reach for all in Singapore. This autonomous vehicle trial, and our partnerships with key players like Zelos that are at the forefront of digital transformation and artificial intelligence, represent a significant milestone on our roadmap to optimising our supply chain’s operational agility, efficiency, and flexibility, through technology integration.”

Terry Zhou, Managing Director, Zelos Technology (Singapore), expressed Zelos’ excitement about advancing Singapore’s transportation network with FPG, and delivering smart logistics solutions to local businesses: “Zelos is honoured to partner with FPG on this innovative project. We believe that new energy combined with automation is the ultimate solution for commercial vehicles, and that our partnership with FPG will help accelerate the adoption of autonomous driving in Singapore.”

Upon the trial’s completion and approval from the LTA, FPG’s autonomous vehicles will be the first in Singapore to conduct full cargo transportation operations on public roads without human supervision. The Zelos autonomous vehicles added to the fleet – that run on electric batteries – are expected to lower FPG’s carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e), and reduce man-hours spent on manual tasks, freeing up staff to focus on more complex activities.

The autonomous vehicle initiative supplements FPG’s ongoing efforts to ensure a sustainable and efficient supply chain that enables it to deliver on its social mission of keeping daily essentials within reach. These efforts include the ongoing expansion of FPG’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet, expected to grow to over 30 EVs by the end of 2024.