Detroit Smart Parking Lab Opens in September
Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company is teaming up with Bedrock, Bosch, and the State of Michigan to launch a first-of-its-kind testing space in Detroit next month. The all-new Detroit Smart Parking Lab officially opens in September at Bedrock’s Assembly Garage, offering a space for innovators to craft the future of parking.
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The lab will be a shared space open to startups and individuals looking to test technologies related to parking and electric vehicle charging. In addition, Enterprise will use the space to figure out easier ways for customers to return rental cars, which could have a positive impact on travelers in the future.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer this past Thursday said that the project shows once more how Michigan is driving revolutionary growth and development in the auto industry.
“Innovative collaborations like the Detroit Smart Parking Lab are solving issues that will make transportation more accessible and affordable while creating an environment for technology and mobility-related companies to thrive and grow in Michigan.”
Detroit Smart Parking Lab follows up on previous collaboration
The announcement comes about a year after Ford, Bedrock, and Bosch originally teamed up to test self-parking tech in Detroit. Using the Assembly Garage, Ford Escape crossovers with built-in vehicle-to-infrastructure technology connect to Bosch smart infrastructure. This allows drivers to autonomously pilot their vehicles into a parking spot and return the vehicle, much like an automated valet service.
Ford Research and Advanced Engineering Director of Controls & Automated Systems Craig Stephens says that the continued collaboration will prove fruitful for drivers by eliminating one of the true nuisances of driving.
“Parallel parking or finding spots in busy, tight structures are some of the most stressful driving situations, which is why Ford invested heavily in innovations such as our parallel parking assistance technology,” said Stephens.
The Detroit Smart Parking Lab will be an open platform that encourages interested innovators to seek grants for projects. Innovation grants will be provided by the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.