FairPrice Group has become the first in Singapore to receive approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to operate autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads for supply chain operations.
The initiative, conducted in partnership with Zelos Technology, will see the deployment of nearly 30 Zelos Z10 AVs to transport goods between FairPrice’s distribution centres for enhanced efficiency and sustainability.
In October 2024, FairPrice Group started AV cargo transportation trials with Zelos. That has now transitioned to remote operations with LTA approval in 2025.
“Through this initiative with Zelos, we are bolstering our capability to support the nation’s supply resilience by introducing innovation that makes our supply chain operations more efficient, sustainable and digitally-enabled,” said Vipul Chawla, Group CEO of FairPrice Group.
The Zelos Z10 is the first fully driverless logistics AV approved by LTA for public road use and operates without a driver cabin. It’s a level 4 AV, meaning that it is equipped to drive itself without human intervention within defined areas and conditions, handling all driving tasks on its own and safely stopping if it cannot operate.
Each vehicle has a load capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes, a range of 210km, and 10-square metre of cargo space for moving palletised goods such as ambient produce and packaged essentials between the group’s Benoi and Joo Koon distribution centres.
The deployment is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 27 tonnes per vehicle annually and free up staff from routine tasks to focus on more complex operations.
Entelechy Asia 