Driverless Car Parks to Expand in Germany

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27 January 2023

Bosch and APCOA Parking have expanded their automated valet parking technology in car parks across Germany.

Driverless car parking technology was approved for commercial use at Stuttgart airport’s car park and Bosch and APCOA are now installing the technology in 15 further parking garages in Germany.

The companies intend this to be their first step toward a worldwide market launch. By increasing the availability of driverless parking services, it is hoped that car parks could accommodate up to 20 per cent more vehicles in the future.

Bosch and APCOA also argue that driverless parking is especially suitable for narrow and remote parking areas.

What is Automated Valet Parking and How Does it Work?

Automated valet parking allows drivers to pass on the search for a parking space and tight manoeuvring into small spaces to an app. Drivers park their vehicle in a handover zone and start the process via the app. A Bosch camera identifies a suitable parking space and assesses any obstacles. When the route is determined to be clear, smart algorithms allow the driving manoeuvre to begin. If the camera detects unexpected obstacles, the vehicle comes to a complete stop and only continues once the route is clear. The process is also ticketless and cashless.

The solution is available to all classes of vehicles, as the smart technology installed in the car park keeps the technical requirements in the vehicle to a minimum.

New Legislation Needed for Automated Driving

“Germany is only the beginning – we’re expecting to soon be able to gradually roll out automated valet parking in other countries around the world as well, once the corresponding laws have been passed,” says Claudia Barthle, Head of Sales for Software and Services in the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division at Bosch.

Germany is one of the few countries to have already passed the legislation which allows Level 4 autonomous driving as an option when participating in public traffic.

In the UK, automated driving laws were considered as part of a government consultation on the rules for the safe use of automated vehicles. Following this, the European Scrutiny Committee has written to the government to get answers on their own plans to regulate the industry.

Picture: a photograph of a person using the automated parking app on their smartphone. Their car can be seen in the background in a parking space. Image Credit: Copyright AVP

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 27 January 2023

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