– In a test configuration, Ford and partners had already demonstrated last year how automatic parking could be implemented
– The car communicates with sensors in the parking area so that free parking spaces are identified and the car is directed there
– Automated valet parking opens up other interesting additional options – from a self-driving car to a car wash to a trunk as a parcel center for delivery services.
Ford welcomes the technical list of autonomous vehicle requirements issued by the Federal Motor Transport Authority, which defines the requirements for the autonomous vehicle parking function “Automated Valet Parking”.
At last year’s IAA Mobility in Munich, the Cologne-based carmaker presented an automated parking garage of the future in a prototype test. State-of-the-art technology combines modern vehicle assistance systems with ground-breaking sensors. For customers, this means: They park their car at the car park entrance, from where it drives to its driverless parking spot and back as soon as it is needed again. The result is a win-win situation for everyone involved: Drivers can get in and out easily and save themselves the trouble of finding a free parking space. In addition, individual vehicles can be parked in a space-saving manner, so that the available parking space is used 20 percent more efficiently. But other options can also be imagined: the car drives itself through an existing car wash or with a loading robot, all available fees are charged electronically and the trunk of the parked car can be used by delivery services as a parcel station.
Under the umbrella of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Ford has worked closely with technology partners such as Bosch and parking space infrastructure providers. For automated parking, the vehicle’s sophisticated communication unit communicates directly with the building’s sensors via WiFi or C-V2X. This identifies free spaces, organizes traffic entering and leaving the car park and uses the available parking space as efficiently as possible. In addition, it helps prevent damage or collisions with pedestrians.
Regardless of whether they have an electric car or a combustion engine: Modern cars have long had important parking service systems – automatic or automatic transmission, electric parking brake and electric power steering. At Ford, the FordPass app is used as a control feature. Infrastructure sensors can be retrofitted into existing car parks. If the service of multi-storey automatic car parking is taken into account in the planning of new buildings from the beginning, additional opportunities for efficient use of existing parking spaces open up.
The need to use existing parking space more efficiently is increasing. In Europe, a typical parking space has an average size of 4.88 by 2.44 meters – with cars getting bigger and bigger over the years, space is becoming increasingly scarce. The automated multi-storey car park uses the available space up to 20 percent more efficiently, as it can place cars a few centimeters closer to each other: the space needed for entry and exit is no longer needed. The risk of dents and scratches caused by carelessly opened doors is also prevented.
The video is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/kdMZECePTIE
Click on the address:
Monica Wagener
Ford of Europe
0241/9421212
mwagener@ford.com
Original content from: Ford-Werke GmbH, distributed by news aktuell
Original message: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/6955/5346351
