The extreme transportation capacity of thousand-ton or ten-thousand-ton-level sites reflects a country’s comprehensive scientific, technological, and national defense strength. The multi-vehicle collaborative transportation technology of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) is a key tool for completing large-scale engineering extreme transportation tasks. Currently, SPMTs face technical bottlenecks such as reliance on manual operation, low control accuracy, and poor collaborative efficiency, which hinder the efficiency and precision of major engineering transportation projects. This paper summarizes the development history, characteristics, current status, existing problems, and technical challenges of multi-vehicle collaborative transportation technology for SPMTs, based on both domestic and international progress. It proposes the following development suggestions: ① Develop a new generation of ten-thousand-ton-level extreme transportation capabilities through organized scientific research paradigms, positioning it as a national heavy-duty transportation tool. ② Overcome the challenges of distributed electric drive transportation technology and promote the green and intelligent transformation of SPMTs. ③ Build a virtual-real integrated testing system to break through the theoretical and core technological verification of swarm control. ④ Strengthen the top-level design of technological innovation to create a deep integration ecosystem involving government, industry, academia, and applications.

The unique structure and innovative drive mode of distributed electric drive vehicles can significantly enhance overall vehicle performance, making them a crucial direction for the future development of electric vehicles. The application of distributed electric drive vehicles has greatly promoted technological innovations in high-performance vehicles. It not only improves energy efficiency, driving safety, and maneuverability but also provides new solutions for specialized applications such as the road transportation of oversized and heavy-haul cargo. This paper reviews the century-long evolution of vehicle configurations and highlights the inevitability of the development of distributed electric drive architectures in the context of vehicle electrification and intelligence, as well as the profound transformations they bring to the automotive industry. The paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of the core technologies of distributed electric drive vehicles worldwide, identifying key challenges in their current development. Finally, the paper presents an outlook on the field, proposing future development goals and technological transformation directions for distributed electric drive vehicles, with the aim of providing scientific insights and strategic recommendations for advancing research and application in China.