German authorities have just given consent to operate a autonomous parking systemat the APCOA car park located at Stuttgart Airport, Germany:

“The world’s first customer acceptance of our highly automated driverless parking feature, developed together with our technology partner Bosch, shows that leadership in innovation and ‘Made in Germany’ will go hand in hand.”said Markus Schaefer, Chief Technical Officer and Head of Development and Supply at Mercedes-Benz: “Following the market launch of our Drive Pilot Level 3 system, we will soon offer a Level 4 parking system with our Intelligent Park Pilot – all this year. We truly show our customers how technology can make their lives easier and save them valuable time.

Autonomous parking: the first authorized level 4 system

This system becomes the main function 4 level autonomous parking in the world for official approval for commercial use. This system works without a driver: it picks up and returns the vehicle completely autonomously.

The feature will soon be available on certain versions of the Mercedes S-Class and EQSequipped with the Intelligent Park Pilot system: for parking in the P6 car park at Stuttgart Airport, Germany, drivers can use the APCOA FLOW platform for booking, contactless entry and exit, and queuing.

🅿️🚘 Laying the foundation for creating a high level #automated and without a driver #parking more accessible: the automated valet parking system we developed together with @MercedesBenz, has been officially approved for commercial use in Germany. More: https://t.co/qcT91insjE pic.twitter.com/TMyXB7c2uy

—BoschGlobal (@BoschGlobal) November 30, 2022

Autonomous parking: how does it work?

All you have to do is enter the car park and get out of the car to send it to a pre-reserved parking space using the Mercedes me smartphone app: it automated valet service does not need a driver. The user can then go about their business while in the car controls automatically to the parking space designated for it and parks separately, which offers a real saving time and peace

When the user returns, the vehicle returns to the pickup location autonomously, exactly the same as at the beginning. This process is based on the interaction betweenintellectual infrastructure provided by Bosch and installed in the parking lot, as well as autonomous driving technology built into Mercedes cars.

Autonomous parking: intelligent infrastructure

with sensors from Bosch installed in the parking lot: they monitor the traffic lane and its surroundings and provide the information necessary to drive the vehicle. The technology built into the car converts the information it receives from the infrastructure into driving maneuvers.

In practice, vehicles can even go up and down ramps on their own move between different floors from the parking lot. If the sensors of the infrastructure detect an obstacle, the car brakes and stops in complete safety. Only after the track has been cleared, it resumes its course.

Mercedes unveils a robot for autonomous charging of electric cars, giving batteries a second life. https://t.co/oH2lvvI9Cg

— AutoPlus (@AutoPlusMag) November 14, 2022