
Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has approved Bosch and Mercedes-Benz’s 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. Drivers drive in to the parking garage, get out, and send the vehicle to a parking space just by tapping in a smartphone app as the Automated Valet Parking service needs a driver. Once the driver has left the parking garage – the vehicle drives itself to its assigned space and parks automatically. Later, the vehicle returns to the pick-up point in exactly the same way.

The automated parking system 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 manoeuvres. 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 it continues on its way.

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.
