Apr. 14, 2025
Source: Guangming Online
Amid the sweeping wave of digital transformation, the campus food delivery sector is undergoing unprecedented change.
On April 11, at the 9th CCLE China Education Logistics Expo in Shanghai, Rino.ai — a leading autonomous driving company — and Ele.me — a major instant local services platform — announced a strategic partnership. The two parties will jointly deploy large-scale unmanned delivery solutions in campus scenarios, leveraging L4-level autonomous driving technology to rebuild the campus food delivery network. The first phase aims to cover 100 universities nationwide.
Strategic Upgrade: Building Instant Logistics Infrastructure
The partnership focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities of campus delivery. Ele.me is actively building a closed-loop, highly integrated logistics system tailored to campus environments, combining IoT technology, smart sensing devices, and data-driven decision-making systems to enable refined, end-to-end management of on-campus logistics.
From loading orders at canteen kitchens, to real-time monitoring during delivery, to secure handoff at student pickup points — every step is optimized for efficiency and quality of service.
At the heart of the initiative is the Rino.ai R3 autonomous delivery vehicle, which boasts L4-level autonomous driving capability. Equipped with high-precision LiDAR and multiple vision sensors, the R3 can safely and reliably operate in complex, changing environments — even in rain, snow, or heavy fog — ensuring that deliveries are completed on time and without compromise.
The R3’s 3 m³ cargo compartment can hold more than a dozen standard food delivery containers, allowing it to carry up to 200 orders or 500 kg in a single trip. This gives it six times the delivery capacity of a traditional courier, while its 120 km range enables a single vehicle to complete over 1,500 deliveries per day.
Scenario Innovation: Addressing Three Core Campus Delivery Pain Points
“This is not just an equipment upgrade — it’s a complete reconstruction of the campus delivery network,” said Chen Jian, Head of Marketing at Rino.ai.
The collaboration with Ele.me introduces three key innovations:
Cost Optimization – Human–machine collaboration, with autonomous vehicles assisting delivery riders, boosts overall efficiency and can reduce monthly labor costs per vehicle by up to 30%.
Safety Enhancement – Every vehicle is equipped for full-route video monitoring and onboard UV disinfection, ensuring food safety for students and staff.
Efficiency Breakthrough – Intelligent routing algorithms calculate the optimal delivery path, reducing delivery times and improving overall throughput, perfectly aligning with campus food delivery demands.
Looking ahead, these autonomous vehicles will be able to handle a variety of delivery needs — from packages to pharmaceuticals — becoming key nodes in the broader smart campus service network.
Driving the Future of Campus Logistics
As Rino.ai’s R3 vehicles roll out to campuses nationwide, the autonomous-driving-powered instant logistics revolution is moving from concept to reality. With the combined power of multi-sensor fusion technology onboard and centralized platform scheduling, merchants can dynamically optimize delivery patterns, while users can track their orders in real time — ensuring precise matching of supply and demand.
This “smart capacity + scenario data” model is redefining the entire value chain of campus logistics — from production to transportation to delivery — and paving the way for a new era of intelligent on-demand services in higher education.
