Bosch, Daimler launching automated parking project

Daimler and Bosch, with the help of the former's car2go car sharing subsidiary, are working on a joint project that will integrate automated parking into the pickup and drop-off experiences.

According to the two companies, "intelligent infrastructure" in the car2go lot will work in conjunction with a vehicle control unit from Bosch and a variety of sensors from Mercedes-Benz to allow vehicles to automatically park themselves.

But the project won't limit the vehicles to automated parking.

When customers arrive in the designated pickup zone at the car2go lot, the car will drive up independently.

When customers are finished, they can simply park in the designated drop-off zone, where the smart infrastructure will register that the vehicle has been returned, start it, and return it to a free parking space.

As the project gets underway, Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, a board member with Bosch, said "fully automated parking will be ready for mass-production before fully automated driving" due in part to the low driving speeds involved.

Mercedes has already developed a fully-autonomous car, the F 015, that Graeme Fletcher had a chance to test drive—er, "test ride"—in California earlier this year.