Bosch lays foundation for future of parking

German engineering and electronics giant Bosch is presenting an easier life for drivers, especially new ones, by simplifying the search for parking spaces and gradually automating the parking process.

"The mobility of the future starts today, with smart parking," said Dirk Hoheisel, member of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH.

Worldwide, almost 2,500 Bosch engineers - about 500 more than last year - are working to further develop driver assistance systems and automated driving.

The company has already made major achievements in this area, especially with its systems for automated parking and driving, and Hoheisel said its sales in driver assistance are expected to exceed 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) this year.

Potential customers for Bosch parking solutions include vehicle manufacturers and parking garage operators as well as cities and communities around the world.

According to a Bosch evaluation of the 2014 vehicle registration statistics, half of all new cars come with a parking assistance system in Germany.

As part of the move toward fully automated parking, Bosch plans to launch a host of parking assistance systems that will help drivers park accident-free, or even completely guide them into a space at the touch of a button over the next few years.

Hoheisel said Bosch shortens this search in two ways: Special occupancy sensors in parking lots or garages detect and report empty spaces, and sensors that are becoming standard in an increasing number of vehicles are employed in the search for curbside parking.

Using a gateway, which is similar to an internet router, the sensor relays the encrypted information securely to a server, where a real-time parking map of all free and occupied spaces is created that can be accessed with the app or online.

"Parking as we know it today won't exist in the future," said Hoheisel. Bosch expects cars will drive themselves to a space in a parking garage even before the end of this decade.

Drivers will simply leave their car in a handover zone outside a parking garage and instruct it by a smartphone, for example, to search for a parking space, Hoheisel said.

When ready to leave, they call the car back to the drop-off point in the same way. Bosch is making this possible by its smart technology present in the vehicle and parking garage as well as the communication between the two.

"Fully automated parking will be ready for production earlier than fully automated driving," Hoheisel said.