Ford recently showcased an automated valet parking service at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, potentially paving the way for a host of remote services, accessible via a mobile application, such as parking, recharging or washing the car, all without any human intervention.
Imagine the day when you can leave your car at the entrance of a parking lot and pick it up several hours or days later, and that, during that time, the car has parked, recharged and got washed, all by itself. This, it seems, may no longer be the realm of science fiction, since Ford has envisioned the scenario, and has demonstrated what this kind of service could look like.
Whether it's at the airport, a stadium or in the city center, automatic parking allows for greater efficiency, with contactless entry, exit and payment. With this solution, drivers will no longer have to waste precious time finding an available space. Ford even estimates that such a service could allow up to 20% more vehicles to be parked in a parking lot, all without the risk of damage from vehicles parking too close or occupants opening doors against other vehicles.
To achieve this, Ford teamed up with several equipment manufacturers, including Bosch, to allow vehicles to automatically be directed to a free space and then park there. For the moment, this technology is still in the development stage and requires the installation of a whole host of sensors in the parking lot to establish communication between vehicles and infrastructure (V2I).
And since a connected car could park itself, it could also be sent, remotely, to an on-site car wash or recharging station, in order to leave the parking lot clean and fully charged. Similarly, it could be possible to have a parcel delivered directly to the car's trunk, if authorized as a drop-off point. For the car owner, all these services would be directly actionable via the FordPass application.
Check out Ford's automated valet in this video: youtu.be/kdMZECePTIE
