Finding a parking space - and retrieving the car afterwards - unfortunately does not always run smoothly, especially in large car parks. The same goes for finding a free charging spot. Together with VW subsidiary Cariad, Bosch is therefore currently testing an automated charging system. The solution is based on Bosch's automated parking system and guides electric cars to a free parking space with charging station without driver intervention. There, a robot then takes care of the automatic charging process. Once charging is complete, the car drives itself to another free parking space.
Bosch and Cariad are currently testing out automating the charging process of e-cars in two in-house car parks in Germany. In Cariad's staff car park in Ingolstadt, the two companies are testing driverless parking with Automated Valet Parking. Driverless charging with Automated Valet Charging is being tested in Bosch's development car park in Ludwigsburg.
Electromobility
Drivers of electric cars want a simple and user-friendly charging process. But in practice, this often turns out differently. They have to connect the cable themselves. There are long queues at charging stations. And they have to pay extra when they disconnect the charging cable too late. An automated charging process removes these stumbling blocks. And it increases the ease of use when charging. The technology also offers many advantages for car manufacturers, charging station operators, car park operators and energy suppliers. It also benefits the environment, because the more electric cars driving around, the less CO2 the traffic emits.
Mobility revolution
"Automation plays an important role in the mobility revolution and the transition to electromobility. Our two services - the automated parking system on the one hand and the automated charging system on the other - make the mobility experience much more pleasant for the user." So says Manuel Maier, Vice President Cross-Domain Level 4 Parking Product Area at Bosch. "By simplifying the charging process to the maximum, we do away with misconceptions about the range of electric cars. This is essential for widespread acceptance of electric mobility. In this way, Bosch and Cariad can make parking and charging even more efficient and easier."
Rolf Dubitzky, Head of Parking at Cariad, also sees a lot of potential in this cooperation: "It gives us great pleasure to shape the future of automated parking and charging together with Bosch. Our cooperation allows us to test the technologies at an early stage of vehicle development. This makes the final product reliable and allows us to offer customers the best possible user experience."
Greater convenience with automated charging process
Infrastructure leads the vehicle to the car park, where a robot opens the charging flap and automatically connects the charging cable. Once the battery is charged, the robot disconnects the cable again. The car then drives itself to a free parking space, making the charging spot available again for another electric car with a low battery level. This makes it possible to charge and park several vehicles without human intervention. This increases the efficiency of the charging infrastructure, optimises the use of charging points and saves customers a long queue at the charging station.
Implementation
Bosch's automated parking system is the first self-driving SAE Level 4 parking service and has been in operation in Stuttgart airport's P6 car park for about a year. Bosch is meanwhile also working on implementing this infrastructure technology in other car parks across Germany.
Source and photo: Bosch
Read also: Lotus rolls out its own fast-charging network in Europe
