Keep on trucking: An L4 intelligent unmanned container truck gets into gear. [Photo/Baotou news network]

Head turner: The L4 pure electric unmanned heavy-duty transport vehicle has a flatbed configuration, with no cabin for a driver. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The Beiben Truck Group – based in Baotou city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region – recently released two L4 intelligent unmanned products in the form of its intelligent unmanned container truck and its pure electric unmanned heavy-duty transport vehicle.

L4 represents the highest level of current unmanned commercialization in the auto industry and the manufacturer is bullish about the commercial prospects of its latest products.

"This is the first L4 intelligent unmanned container truck in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, representing the highest level of independent research and development in this field," said Zhou Yawei, chief scientist of parent company China North Industries Group.

The truck's road monitoring system is equipped with four lidar sensors that use lasers, which can identify terrain and objects at a distance of up to 200 meters. When the vehicle closes to within 20 meters of another vehicle or object, it will either make a complete stop or take action to avoid it.

Information of delivery destinations is entered into the truck's dispatching operations system. Using a low-latency 5G network, the remote operator can pilot it using a steering wheel while sitting in an office. The technology makes it possible to completely do away with a truck cockpit for a driver on the vehicle in the future.

The transport vehicle is a 6-metric-ton flatbed model, mainly developed for transfer work in factories. Its communications interconnectivity and formation driving functionality, paves the way for convoys of unmanned vehicles.

Moving forwards, relying on the development of driverless technology, the Beiben Group is expected to work closely with domestic digital leaders such as Huawei and Baidu to improve the quality of products manufactured in Baotou city.