Mercedes-Benz and Bosch have announced the successful premiere of their joint Automated Valet Parking pilot in Beijing. The technology, which debuted in the parking garage at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart in 2017, symbolizes a pioneering effort in infrastructure-supported driverless parking and marks the first pilot of its kind in China.
Driverless parking offers great potential
Automated Valet Parking, to the extent legally allowed where used, enables vehicles to proceed to an assigned space and for the user to retrieve the vehicle via their smartphone. This will undergo further testing by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch at the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development Center.
In modern urban parking environments, shortages of parking spaces, locating suitable parking spots, and other issues, present inconveniences for vehicle owners. Automated Valet Parking has the capacity to ease difficulties involved in the parking process by automating it, saving time and effort, and opening up new possibilities for vehicle owners.
The Automated Valet Parking journey begins when the user parks the vehicle in a designated drop-off area before sending it to be parked using the smartphone app. After being registered by the intelligent system infrastructure installed in the car park, the vehicle is started and guided to an assigned parking space. Sensors installed in the car park monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings while steering the vehicle. The vehicle’s onboard technology safely maneuvers it in response to commands from the intelligent car park infrastructure, stopping the vehicle in good time when necessary. When a user is ready to pick up the car, it can be called through a smartphone app, after which it rolls to the pick-up area without a driver.
