FairPrice Group has begun a pilot that would be Singapore’s first regular autonomous-vehicle route linking a retailer and a supplier, part of a wider push to digitise and decarbonise its logistics operations. The trial, conducted with beverage maker Pokka, runs a roughly six-kilometre round trip between FairPrice’s distribution centre and Pokka’s Benoi warehouse and began on 25 February 2026, The Straits Times reported.
According to FairPrice Group, the scheme builds on t...
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he company’s earlier regulatory milestone: in October 2025 it secured Land Transport Authority approval to operate fully remotely supervised autonomous vehicles on public roads for supply‑chain work. FairPrice has partnered with Zelos Technology to deploy Zelos Z10 vehicles; each can carry up to 1.5 tonnes of palletised goods and is estimated to cut around 27 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The group says seven AVs are currently active across its distribution network, completing in excess of 100 trips a week, and it intends to scale the AV fleet to roughly 30 vehicles while expanding its broader electric vehicle fleet to more than 160 EVs by 2030.
Industry commentators and national coverage have flagged the initiative as a significant step for Singapore’s logistics sector, taking routine transfer tasks out of the hands of drivers and pointing to potential gains in efficiency and resilience. According to FairPrice’s corporate statement, once the current route receives final clearance, goods from Pokka’s warehouse will be carried entirely by AVs to the retailer’s distribution hub, and the model could be replicated with other suppliers around the island.
The pilot sits alongside FairPrice’s other sustainability and commercial programmes. In 2025 the group enrolled 15 strategic suppliers in a Sustainability Chain Decarbonisation programme designed to set measurable emission‑reduction targets across its value chain. The move follows recent organisational changes intended to deepen digital and market reach: last month FairPrice appointed Rajiv Singh to lead FPG ADvantage, its omnichannel retail‑media unit that connects brands with shoppers across the group’s physical and online touchpoints.
Vipul Chawla, group CEO, FairPrice Group, said in a statement: “FPG’s supply chain is the foundation of our entire organisation, and fundamental in helping us keep daily essentials within reach for all in Singapore. This pilot represents an important next step on our journey to embed innovation beyond our business, across our value chain to drive greater operational and sustainability outcomes for ourselves and our partners.”
Regulatory approval and operational testing remain central to the programme’s prospects. The Land Transport Authority’s authorisation to permit remotely supervised AV operation on public roads was described by FairPrice as a first for a commercial supply‑chain operator in Singapore, and the company has emphasised that any wider roll‑out will depend on obtaining final clearances and demonstrating safe, repeatable performance on mixed public routes.
The deployment exemplifies a broader trend among logistics operators experimenting with autonomy and electrification to reduce costs, cut emissions and shore up supply‑chain capacity. FairPrice’s pilot, and its partnership with Zelos and Pokka, will be watched as an early test of how autonomous freight services can be integrated into urban distribution networks in a tightly regulated city‑state.
Source: Noah Wire Services
