BOSCH, the world’s leading provider of technology and services, has developed a parking solution that will save motorists time and effort and make active parking lot management more efficient.



The new solution alerts drivers via a smartphone app to the best available parking spaces at their destinations and sends across meta-data about the space, including hourly charges and whether it is reserved for the disabled. Thanks to the active parking lot management solution from Bosch, drivers can find the best parking space without any unnecessary driving and avoid unexpected parking fines.



Commenting on the new technology, Volker Bischoff, General Manager at Bosch Middle East FZE, said “living in a growing city has many advantages, but searching for parking is not one of them.



Finding the right space can be frustrating, and the longer it takes to find a space, the more petrol is wasted and carbon dioxide is sent into the air.



With this solution, drivers are guided straight to an optimal parking space. This saves, time, money and is better for the environment.”



Finding a parking space can be extremely frustrating, particularly in the UAE’s growing cities. Motorists in both commercial and residential areas of Abu Dhabi report spending as much as 30 minutes in search of a parking space every day, and drivers across the Emirates complain that construction projects block public parking zones. 



The new parking solution from Bosch ensures that drivers always have the most up-to-date information on available parking spaces and spend less time making detours.



Bosch’s parking solution is designed to make active parking lot management more efficient, as well. The solution includes a special occupancy sensor that can be installed in parking garages and on street parking to reliably detect available spaces.



The weather-resistant occupancy sensors operate wirelessly and are powered by batteries, eliminating the effort and expense involved in laying cables.



Each battery has a service-life of up to seven years. Inside the housing, Bosch installs two different sensor technologies that corroborate one another’s information, minimizing room for error.



The Bosch sensor relays the encrypted information securely to a server, where a real-time parking map of all free and occupied spaces is created and can be accessed via an app or online. 



Providers of active parking lot management can access the data through a web portal that delivers a clear overview of which parking spaces are occupied by how many vehicles and when.



For example, during peak times, this information can direct drivers to spaces that are less frequently occupied. Bosch engineers are developing a parking forecast, as well.



Using past data, they hope to draw important conclusions for the future, which could considerably alleviate the scramble for parking spaces that is often seen during major events.



The components of active parking lot management, which includes occupancy sensors, the gateway, and the real-time parking map, also set the stage for fully automated parking, or self-driving cars.



In the not-too-distant future, in a form of automated valet parking, drivers will be able to leave their vehicles at the entrance to a parking garage, give the car the command to identify a parking space on its own via a smartphone, and later summon the car over the app. — SG