Mercedes-Benz, Bosch develop fully-automated parking system

Mercedes-Benz, along with Bosch has received approval for a fully automated self-parking software which enables cars to drive themselves into a pre-booked parking spot at a Stuttgart Airport parking lot. The cars can also automatically drive back out. The software works by communicating with sensors in the parking location to detect obstacles in its path. It has now been approved for use in one parking house in Stuttgart Airport.

This function will be available for Mercedes-Benz customers owning an S Class or EQS produced from July 2022 onwards. The approval to begin using the automated valet parking system was received in 2019 and it was first used at the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage. Both the companies have been cooperating on the development of fully automated driverless parking since 2015.

To use this technology, car owners will need to book a parking spot ahead of time via an app, and then leave their vehicle in a drop-off area. Once they leave their car, it will drive itself to its spot, and can be called back out again via the app.

This process works on the interplay between the intelligent infrastructure supplied by Bosch and installed in the parking garage and Mercedes-Benz automotive technology. “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," said Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.

The approval for commercial use of this technology has been given by Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). The country passed a law in July last year allowing Level 4 autonomous driving that has no human involvement, in defined operating areas of public spaces.