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World first: Bosch and Mercedes-Benz’s driverless parking system approved for commercial use

Automated valet parking is the world’s first highly automated driverless (SAE Level 4) parking function to be given official approval for commercial use in Germany. It will be available soon for certain S-Class and EQS variants equipped with INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT, initially at APCOA parking garage P6 at Stuttgart Airport, Germany.

“Driverless parking is a key aspect of automated mobility. The highly automated parking system we developed together with our partner Mercedes-Benz shows just how far we’ve already progressed along this development path. It will be with driverless parking that everyday automated driving will start.”

Dr. Mathias Pillin

Dr. Markus Heyn

Member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions

Bosch and Mercedes-Benz have reached an important milestone on the way to automated driving: Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has approved their highly automated parking system for use in the P6 parking garage run by APCOA at Stuttgart Airport. This makes it the world’s first highly automated driverless parking function to SAE Level 4¹ to be officially approved for commercial use. The technological advancement of automated driving plays a key role in the mobility of the future. With the vehicle and infrastructure taking over driving and maneuvering, drivers will be able to turn their attention to other things, instead of time spent looking for a parking space and maneuvering in tight parking garages.

The technology behind driverless parking

INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT
Bosch stereo camera
INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT
Bosch stereo camera

Drive in to the parking garage, get out, and send the vehicle to a parking space just by tapping in a smartphone app – the Automated Valet Parking service has no need for a driver. Once the driver has left the parking garage – to spend the time just saved on doing something else – the vehicle drives itself to its assigned space and parks. Later, the vehicle returns to the pick-up point in exactly the same way. This process relies on the interplay between the intelligent infrastructure supplied by Bosch and installed in the parking garage and Mercedes-Benz automotive technology. Bosch sensors in the parking garage monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings and provide the information needed to guide the vehicle. The technology in the vehicle converts the information it receives from the infrastructure into driving maneuvers. This way, vehicles can even drive themselves up and down ramps to move between stories in the parking garage. If the infrastructure sensors detect an obstacle, the vehicle brakes and safely comes to a complete stop. Only once the route is clear does it continue on its way.

INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT
Bosch stereo camera

INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT function available for S-Class and EQS2

Bosch stereo camera for intelligent infrastructure

INTELLIGENT PARK PILOT
Bosch stereo camera

Bosch rethinks parking and creates a completely new parking experience

Automated Valet Parking

Automated valet parking the world’s first highly automated driverless parking function

Find out more about how automated valet parking makes parking garages safer, more convenient, and more service oriented – and how you too can get your own parking facilities and business ready for the future.

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