Ford Motor Company, Bedrock, and Bosch are launching a demonstration project with connected Ford test vehicles that can drive and park themselves inside Bedrock’s Assembly Garage in Detroit, in the US, using Bosch smart infrastructure.
The research will take place in the Corktown neighborhood, the site of Ford’s new mobility innovation district, anchored by Michigan Central Station. The district will draw mobility innovators and disruptors from around the world to develop, test, and launch new solutions to solve urban transportation challenges, improve mobility access for everyone and prepare for the increasingly connected and autonomous world ahead.
This is the first U.S. infrastructure-based solution for automated valet parking where the vehicle will park itself inside a parking garage.
The project aligns with Bedrock’s vision of combining ground up and historical developments with the newest technology in parking and mobility – including the current installation of the Midwest’s first automated parking stall, which parks and retrieves vehicles in the basement of the Free Press Building using street-level load bays.
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Connected vehicle and smart infrastructure enhance automated parking
The connected Ford test vehicles operate in a highly automated fashion by vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication with Bosch’s intelligent parking infrastructure. The infrastructure sensors recognize and localize the vehicle to guide its parking maneuver, including the ability to help avoid pedestrians and other hazards.
Upon arriving into the garage, a driver will leave the vehicle in a designated area and use a smartphone app to send the vehicle into an automated parking maneuver.
Drivers will also use the app to request the return of the vehicle to the designated pick-up area, expediting the parking experience and removing the responsibility of finding the vehicle upon return to the garage.
New mobility requires collaboration
The demonstration project at Assembly Garage brings together one of the world’s largest automakers, Ford, the largest property developer in the City of Detroit, Bedrock, and the world’s largest automotive supplier, Bosch, to demonstrate how organisations are working together on new mobility initiatives.
The demonstration project will enable the three companies to gain valuable insights regarding user experience, vehicle design, parking structure design, and application to expand the technology and its application.
Efficient use of space and vehicle services make the case
Automated parking solutions bring value to garage owners by allowing for the more efficient use of spaces inside a parking garage. With automated valet parking, the same amount of space can accommodate up to 20 percent more vehicles.
In addition to simply parking, a vehicle could also drive itself to areas within the garage for specific services such as vehicle charging or a car wash. During the demonstration project, Ford, Bedrock, and Bosch will demonstrate vehicle paths showing how a vehicle would move between service areas and ultimately to a parking spot before the user calls it back to leave the garage.
