VW, Audi, and Porsche test autonomous parking at Hamburg Airport
People spend a lot of time looking for parking spots, and the airport parking experience can be one of the worst. The Volkswagen Group is running a pilot trial of autonomous parking at Hamburg Airport, that will not only reduce the stress of finding a spot, but also turn your parked car into a delivery destination.
In this first test phase, Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche cars with autonomous capability will use the multi-storey car park directly opposite Terminal 2 of Hamburg Airport. Using an app a parking spot can be booked ahead of time, then drivers exit the vehicle, where the cars, in concert with sensors reading image markers to identify routes and spaces, will autonomously navigate to an available space. If the vehicle is electric then it can be directed to a space equipped with a charging station, and have the battery topped up while parked.
At the other end of the trip the vehicle is again accessed remotely via the app, and driven autonomously for the driver to pick up. Payment is also managed via the app.
Additionally, parcels, dry cleaning, etc can be delivered to the vehicle while parked, using a partner delivery service.
VW hopes to have the service in place and open to the public at ‘the beginning of the next decade.
Find out what other new technologies are being tested right now on our ITS Projects and Trials Across the World page.
“With new mobility solutions we want to give people more time and quality of life by reducing the time spent and stress in road traffic. Our vision is mobility that is available to everyone, everywhere and at all times at the press of a button – and autonomous vehicles play a decisive role here.
People currently spend around 30 percent of their driving time in urban areas looking for a parking space. Autonomous parking like we are testing here at Hamburg Airport is an important step on the way to autonomous driving – as an integrated full-service concept via an app. We are putting a consistent focus on people and their needs,” said Johann Jungwirth, Chief Digital Officer of the Volkswagen Group.
See the autonomous parking service in action in the short video below.
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