Robotised delivery vehicles have proven a notable feature of the 2026 IAA Transportation show in Hannover, with at least three major manufacturers showcasing the vehicles on their stands.
The most high-profile launch was by Stellantis, which unveiled its BOW concept – standing for Box on Wheels. On display not only on the Stellantis stand but operating during the show on the roadways between the show halls, the BOW is an autonomous delivery vehicle designed for urban environments.
According to Stellantis typical uses for the unit could be restricted-access and low-emission zones, such as in the centre of cities, and operations within controlled environments such as factories, hospitals and airports.
The device has been developed by Stellantis in collaboration with robotics specialist UQI in China – no technical details have been released but it is likely to offer impressive capacity, accessed through a side door and a rear roller-shutter, due to no space needing to be allocated to the infrastructure for a human driver.
Elsewhere on the stand of Chinese brand Maxus sat the Robovan – this driverless vehicle employs three LiDAR sensors and 11 cameras to find its own way through urban environments, carrying up to 6m3 of cargo with a maximum payload capacity of up to 1,500 kilograms. The prototype has according to Maxus completed more than 10 million kilometres of testing in real-world environments without a single accident.
Meanwhile alongside the launch of its new European-focused van division Delivan, Chery group also had its own robotised vehicle on its stand, called the robox. Again details were scarce but it appears to follow a similar technical format to its potential rivals.
How soon these vehicles or similar ones might be seen on the roads of the UK remains open to speculation. Currently robotised vehicles of this type are not permitted to operate on public roads, but the UK Government is undertaking a consultation on self-driving vehicles and what safety aspects consumers would expect to see – so changes in the regulations could be on the way in due course.
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