We’re still a long way from letting our cars do all the driving for us, but at the very least, they can take care of our fast-food cravings. As a matter of fact, they can in some parts of the world.
Yum Brands, which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), has been deploying self-driving food trucks in Shanghai, China. They’re basically cute little autonomous pods that bring all that greasy, steaming hot goodness right where you want it so that you may never have to go to an actual KFC restaurant or drive-through again.
Photos of the KFC pods have started popping up on Twitter a few days ago (hat tip to CNET’s Roadshow), showing that at least two of these cute vehicles are being deployed in Shanghai. According to one tweet (via Google Translate), these pods carry hot food in areas like campuses or parks. You get to make your choice using the included touchscreen, and once you’ve made your payment on your mobile, you scan the QR code and get your meal.
The entire process is quick and, most importantly in the year 2020, free of contact with any other human being, which makes the idea just perfect. The media outlet reached out to Yum and Neolix for comment but they weren’t immediately available. That said, a photo is worth a thousand words – and you can totally see the Neolix logo on these KFC food car(t)s.
The video available at the bottom of the page shows the versatility of the Neolix autonomous pods. They can serve as mobile pickup point, soda dispensers and be used for a variety of other mobility retail services. They can even work as automated security vehicles for campuses, though it’s highly unlikely that putting on a set of flashing lights on this cute little thing would make any respectable criminal stop dead in their tracks.
The Neolix pods can be used in campuses and lower-density city traffic on actual streets and, based on the video, have swappable batteries to ensure they’re never retired for charging.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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