Chongqing’s Yongchuan district has hit the streets—literally—with self-driving sanitation vehicles that buzz along main roads, park plazas, and side streets, sweeping and sprinkling without a human behind the wheel.

These homegrown autonomous cleaners entered commercial service recently, marking a milestone in local smart-city innovation. By tapping into precise navigation and automated controls, the vehicles keep public spaces spotless around the clock.

Each electric sweeper runs for about six hours on a single charge and can match the daily output of four to five traditional street-cleaning crews. That means fewer labor demands and more consistent results.

Yongchuan’s reputation as a testing ground for driverless tech spans 128 km² of open trial zones. Now, with large-scale deployment under its belt, the district offers a real-world blueprint for other cities looking to boost efficiency and upgrade urban management with cutting-edge automation.