Cars are allowed to park themselves in Stuttgart

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Who hasn’t dreamed? Just get off the narrow entrance of the multi-storey car park – the car will automatically find an empty parking space. This is what TÜV Rheinland has now made possible, together with Bosch and Mercedes. Their so-called “Automatic Valet Parking” system is an automated parking service that allows cars to park in parking garages fully autonomously without a driver behind the wheel.

The project, which started recently in Stuttgart (Germany) for the system jointly developed by Bosch and Mercedes, is the world’s first parking system approved for serial use in vehicles with automation level 4. This means that there is no longer a requirement for a driver to be able to intervene at any time. Automated valet parking is another milestone in the autonomous driving space, both in terms of technology and approval procedures. After many years of testing and improvements, the system was first legally approved by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in 2023. Previous attempts by the responsible authorities to authorize such a system have failed due to the lack of a legal framework for driverless use of vehicles.

TÜV Rheinland as a link

“Over seven years, safety partner TÜV Rheinland, as the link between Bosch and Mercedes developers and approval authorities, paved the way for a safe and verifiable concept for driverless parking technology for Level 4,” explains the safety expert. Proudly Andreas Kohlhas from TÜV Rheinland. Therefore, both the technical concept and legal framework for automated valet parking apply as templates and specifications for other projects around the world.

This is how Bosch technology works

Bosch has developed a large-scale sensor system in which a large number of cameras and sensors are installed in the car park. These create a kind of 3D ambient image. The relevant data is sent to the vehicle-integrated software in the vehicle. All data is interconnected there. This makes it possible to navigate autonomously and driverlessly in the vehicle unhindered and safely. “The monitoring system even recognizes sudden obstacles and responds reliably. The car stops by itself and continues on its way as soon as the route clears again,” explains Andreas Kohlhas. The unpredictable was, of course, the biggest challenge, and it is: “We only had to anticipate at that time the possible risk scenarios that would have relevant use cases years later.”

So far only for Mercedes

Until now, only Level 4 models from Mercedes (S-Class and SUV EQS) are compatible with the Bosch system, thanks to the optional Intelligent Park Pilot software (approximately CHF 1,100 surcharge). According to Bosch and Mercedes, this technology could soon be scalable to other vehicle classes and manufacturers. Because the main sensors required for this are not in the vehicle, but mainly in the environment, in the multi-storey car park.

Autonomous parking systems not only offer greater safety (no more hustle and bustle) and comfort (save time and stress when searching for a free parking space), they also save space. Thanks to the more efficient use of parking space thanks to electronics, up to 20 percent more cars can fit in a multi-storey car park. By the way, Stuttgart airport parking is just the beginning. 15 more multi-storey car parks are already planned in Germany for this year. And over the next few years, more than 100 will be added in Germany alone.

Source: Blick