Full parking garages are a horror for many drivers.
But in the future, cars could find a parking space without a driver.
First tests are running.
The road to self-driving
cars
in Germany is still a long one.
In the
USA
, the first driverless cars are already being
tested
.
In
Germany that
could take a while.
But the automated parking the approaching
vision
of
reality
.
In
Stuttgart
, cars could soon find their parking space automatically - without a driver.
Munich - Anyone who drives their own car in the city center or is looking for a parking space in the multi-storey car park at the airport needs strong nerves.
Ramps and parking spaces are often quite narrow and scarce during the travel season or on Saturdays.
But improvement is in sight.
Because manufacturers around the world are not only working on automated driving, but also on automated parking, known in industry
jargon as
Automated Valet Parking
(AVP).
A glimpse into the automotive future and the AVP is now available at
Stuttgart
Airport
.
In the
P6
car park
,
Mercedes-Benz has
started a test
together with
Bosch
and the car park operator
Apcoa
.
Also at the airport
Braunschweig
operates
Volkswagen
with the TU Braunschweig and Apcoa to a comparable technology.
#AutomatedValetParking to drive down the airport stress: @BoschGlobal, @MercedesBenz, and the parking garage operator @apcoa_de want to introduce driverless and fully automated parking at @STR_Airport in the future.
Get all information here: https://t.co/CkP8Yqje50 #MercedesBenz pic.twitter.com/gmEOpCDCnD
- Mercedes-Benz Press (@MB_Press) October 12, 2020
Automated parking (AVP): high-tech from the app to the payment barrier
According to the ideas of the companies, drivers should
simply park
their vehicle
in a so-called
drop zone
after reserving the AVP via
app
and driving through the barrier
and notify them via app.
Then the car drives off on its own, looks for a suitable parking space and parks fully automatically - completely without a driver.
Of course, this also works the other way around.
After landing at the airport, the driver calls his car via the app, which is waiting for departure shortly afterwards in the pick-up area.
A camera system at the barrier recognizes the license plate, opens the barrier and then automatically bills it using the corresponding app.
The future of parking isn't exactly cheap to start with.
For the AVP package in the new
S-Class
, which will be launched in December,
a contribution “in the lower four-digit euro range” is due, according to
Mercedes
.
Further series with the star are to follow.
The parking fee for automated parking is also likely to be higher than usual.
At the start in
Stuttgart
, in addition to the actual parking, another 15 euros for
AVP
are due.
The amount corresponds to the classic valet parking at the airport in the Swabian metropolis, where employees look for a free parking space and park the car.
Automated parking (AVP): cameras keep an eye on everything
But the brave new parking world costs money.
Bosch has installed around 180 cameras in the P6 in Stuttgart alone.
Then there is the effort for the computers.
You guide the car to the reserved parking space.
The computers
communicate
with the appropriately equipped vehicles
via
WiFi
.
The technology in the car takes over starting, blinking or braking, the signals for driving to the free parking space come from the computer, which in turn processes the signals from the cameras and specifies the route.
Measured against the global categorization of driving support systems, AVP corresponds to level 4. It stands for fully automated driving in which the vehicle navigates most of its journey independently.
The corresponding technology should be able to recognize difficult traffic situations such as construction sites or parking cars and to react independently, for example to evade or to brake completely.
Automated parking (AVP): Allianz-Arena, Messe München and Elbphilharmonie are hot candidates
The
test
in
Stuttgart
is
currently running
in a specially cordoned-off area in P6.
As soon as the authorities have given their approval, regular operations should begin under real conditions.
Then pedestrians or other vehicles could also cross the S-Class train.
If everything goes well, the system will also be installed in other parking garages in the coming years.
According to an Apcoa spokesman, parking garages at trade fairs, concert halls, stadiums or airports would be particularly suitable as possible locations.
“In
Munich
, the
Allianz Arena
and the
Munich Exhibition Center come
into question,” an Apcoa spokesman told Merkur.de * on Tuesday.
BER
Berlin Airport
,
Düsseldorf
Airport
and the
Elbphilharmonie
in
Hamburg
should also make it onto the shortlist.
*
Merkur.de
is part of the nationwide Ippen Digital editorial network.