Never look for a parking space again!

Never look for a parking space again!

Automated Valet Parking is the name of the world's first fully automated and driverless parking function, which was jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch. With the approval now given by the authorities for series operation in Germany, another milestone has been reached on the path to a fully autonomous vehicle. The innovative function will soon be available in Germany for certain variants of the S-Class and the EQS with the corresponding “Intelligent Park Pilot” pre-equipment, initially in the P6 parking garage in Stuttgart.

The technological development of automated driving plays a key role in the mobility of the future. The vehicle and infrastructure take over the driving and maneuvering tasks: Instead of spending valuable time looking for a parking space and parking in narrow parking garages, the driver can concentrate on other things. “Everyday life in automated driving begins with driverless parking,” says Markus Heyn, Bosch Managing Director and Chairman of the Mobility Solutions division. “Our goal is to equip more parking garages with the appropriate infrastructure technology in the future – there should be several hundred worldwide in the coming years.”

Drive into the parking garage, get out and send the vehicle to park by clicking on the smartphone app - the automated parking service, also known as automated valet parking, does not require a driver. While the driver has already left the parking garage and can use the time saved for something else, the vehicle drives itself to an assigned parking space and parks. In the same way, the vehicle can be driven up again if requested. The intelligent infrastructure from Bosch installed in the parking garage interacts with the vehicle technology from Mercedes-Benz. Bosch sensors in the parking garage monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings and provide the information for controlling the vehicle. The technology in the vehicle converts the information from the infrastructure into driving maneuvers. In this way, the vehicles can also drive up and down ramps independently and change floors within the parking garage. If the infrastructure sensors detect an obstacle, the vehicle brakes to a safe standstill and only starts driving again when the route is clear again.