Bosch and Mercedes-Benz, along with parking garage operator Apcoa, are developing an automated valet parking (AVP) system to be trialled at Stuttgart Airport.
The AVP will be featured in the new Mercedes-Benz S Class and will be able to receive a command from a smartphone to drive itself and park in a reserved parking spot, ensuring parking is both cashless and ticketless.
A dedicated parking garage at Stuttgart Airport will serve as the test bed to trial how the vehicle technology interacts with Bosch’s intelligent infrastructure and Apcoa’s digital booking platform, Apcoa Flow. The test will also feature new Bosch video cameras that can identify vacant parking spaces, monitor the driving aisle and detect obstacles such as pedestrians. Previously, lidar sensors were used for this purpose.
The in-vehicle technology autonomously converts information from the cameras into driving manoeuvres, enabling cars to drive themselves around the parking garage, even moving between different storeys navigating narrow ramps. If the cameras detect an unexpected obstacle the vehicle safely performs an emergency stop.
Furthermore, a dedicated control centre will be set up to calculate the route the vehicles need to take to reach an available space.
It’s believed that, by increasing the availability of driverless and fully automated parking services, the same amount of space could accommodate up to 20% more vehicles.
“Automated valet parking really enhances our passengers’ comfort and convenience and saves them time, especially when they’re in a hurry and just want to drop their car off quickly at the airport”, said Walter Schoefer, management spokesman for Flughafen Stuttgart.
In July 2019, Bosch and Mercedes-Benz received the world’s first special permit to operate AVP for selected E-Class vehicles without a safety driver in real-life, mixed parking garage traffic at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
