Together with the car manufacturer Ford, the supplier is testing the “Automated Valet Parking” parking system in the USA. In doing so, they rely on new camera technology.
The supplier Bosch is now working with new partners in the USA on its system for driverless parking in multi-storey car parks. In addition to the automaker Ford, the real estate company Bedrock, which operates parking garages itself, is involved in the project in Detroit in the US state of Michigan, as Bosch announced on Thursday.
The “Automated Valet Parking” is being tested in a building complex near the old Michigan Central Station. According to the information, the so-called Ford Innovation Campus is also being built in the area.
At the same time, Bosch has been testing “Automated Valet Parking” for several years together with Daimler in the parking garage of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. It has been officially approved by the traffic authorities there for over a year.
Strictly speaking, the cars do not drive themselves, but are remotely controlled by the technology permanently installed in the parking garage via access to the vehicle technology. This reduces the demands on the individual car. So far, the system has been based on laser radar, the so-called lidar. In the future, however, according to a spokeswoman, Bosch will rely on camera technology, which should make the technology significantly cheaper overall. In addition, the partnership with Ford is now more focused on volume models than before. According to the information, the Escape SUV model will be used during testing in Detroit.
More cars fit in the parking garage
Bosch emphasizes that the sensors can also be retrofitted in older parking garages – such as in the Bedrock car park. The advantage for the operator: automobiles can park more closely, so that up to 20 percent more vehicles fit in the same space. An advantage in cities. In addition, cars could also drive autonomously in the parking garage for service or washing. So the car doesn’t just stand around.
Conclusion
Is automated parking in a multi-story car park something like the networked refrigerator – reads well, never comes? It depends: it helps motorists if they trust the technology and parking garage operators at least partially pass on the better utilization to the users – the technology also costs money, of course. But the proportion of autonomously parked cars will initially be low – and with it the savings.
