By |
Editor | Wen Shuqi
Self-driving cars are moving toward mass deployment, but one piece is still missing: the ability to charge without a human in sight.
On one hand, Robotaxis are shifting from pilot programs to commercial operations. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) “Global EV Outlook 2026” shows that by the end of 2025, the global commercial Robotaxi fleet will exceed 8,000 vehicles—more than double previous numbers—with operations concentrated in China and the United States. Meanwhile, XPeng Motors has kicked off Robotaxi mass production this year, while WeRide and Pony.ai are expanding their fleets, pushing the industry into a fast lane.
Source: IEA
On the other hand, the rapid rise of electric vehicles is driving a fresh wave of demand for charging infrastructure. China recently set a new target: by 2030, new energy vehicles will make up 30% of all cars on the road, up from about 12% at the end of 2025.
But while autonomous tech is speeding ahead, recharging still leans heavily on human hands. From Robotaxis and unmanned delivery vans to driverless mining trucks, most vehicles can drive themselves but still need someone to plug in, charge, and unplug. That makes charging the last human-dependent link in the chain of unmanned operations.
Recently, NUPIAO Technology launched a new series of automatic charging robots for public charging stations, specialized sites, and home use. They’re aiming right at that last piece of the puzzle in the autonomous driving supply chain that hasn’t been automated yet.
“Automatic charging isn’t really replacing the act of plugging in—it’s replacing the whole labor cost of having someone do the job,” said Wei Ying, co-founder of NUPIAO Technology, in an interview.
In his view, a lot of industry chatter still focuses on “whether a robot can stick a plug into a car,” but what truly matters for business value is whether it can cut down on human effort in unmanned operations.
Take mining sites as an example. Many mining trucks already run 24/7 without drivers, but they still need a person to handle the charging. Some of these mines sit at altitudes of 4,000 to 5,000 meters, so recharging isn’t just about extra labor costs—it’s a high-risk gig.
“We don’t price our products against a single charging session; we price them against the entire human labor cost of a fully unmanned scene,” Wei Ying said. For operators, the biggest win from automatic charging isn’t saving a few bucks on electricity—it’s making unmanned transport a real, closed-loop operation.
The same story plays out in the Robotaxi world.
In areas like Beijing’s Yizhuang, autonomous vehicles from Baidu’s Apollo Go and JD.com are already in regular operation. More and more Robotaxis are hitting the streets daily. But after finishing a ride, they still need a person to charge them up before they can hit the road again.
“The cars can drive themselves, but they still need a human to charge—so the labor you saved with autonomous driving just shows up again at the charging station,” Wei Ying noted.
Still, he doesn’t think automatic charging will explode across all markets at once.
“In the coming years, it’ll be ‘specialized first, then public, then home use,'” Wei Ying predicted. For now, closed environments like mines, logistics parks, and ports have the most mature business models and the highest willingness to pay—because they’ve already automated their vehicles, leaving charging as the last human link.
In contrast, while the home market is bigger, it’ll take time for consumers to form new charging habits.
It’s a space that’s drawing more and more players. Besides NUPIAO Technology, Xiaomi has shown off home-focused automatic charging solutions, and Tesla has floated the idea of an automatic charging robotic arm. As Robotaxis and smart EVs race ahead, automatic recharging is evolving from a standalone device into a key part of the smart driving ecosystem.
But the industry still has a long way to go before mass rollout.
Wei Ying believes the biggest misconception out there is underestimating how tricky automatic charging really is. Different car brands have different charging port placements and plug specs. Plus, how a car is parked, outdoor lighting, weather changes—all of it can mess with a robot’s job.
“A lot of people think that if a robotic arm can plug in, the product is ready. But real-world scenarios are way more complex than a lab,” Wei Ying said. A truly commercial-grade automatic charging product needs safe interaction, high fault tolerance, environmental adaptability, and easy maintenance—not just a one-time successful plug.
In Wei Ying’s eyes, the lack of unified standards is another barrier to scaling up. Right now, his company is involved in drafting industry standards to push for a common technical framework.
As autonomous driving pushes toward mass adoption, automatic recharging is gaining importance. It might not grab headlines like self-driving algorithms, but it could decide whether autonomous vehicles truly make the leap from “driving without a driver” to “operating without a human.”
