Automated Valet Parking: That time my Audi parked itself

I’m meeting with Christian Feist, responsible for automated parking concept development at CARIAD, at the scene of the event. He picks me up in an Audi e-tron Sportback with CARIAD branding. We pull into the drop-off zone and get out. I use my key to lock the car, whip out my smartphone, and press the button in the app to park my car – and the e-tron Sportback rolls off very slowly on its own. The left, right, then left turn signals blink one after the other – the sign that the vehicle is now communicating with the parking garage.

I’m also impressed by what else will be possible in this parking garage of the future. Christian describes the services at the parking space: “There are two charging robots, one on the ground, a second hanging from the ceiling, that will recharge your car while you stroll around the trade show.” How convenient! So I get my car back with a full battery. “Yes, and if you want, freshly washed too. For this purpose, there are two fully automatic car washes inside. And a security operator monitors everything to make sure your car is always safe and secure.” And what if I forget something in the car? “No problem, you can always go in and get your stuff out of the car.“

Christian adds, “AVP is pretty cool, isn’t it? It also offers people tangible benefits, because you save a lot of time, it’s incredibly convenient, and it’s the safest possible way to park your car. And we’re already thinking about linking parking with other services.”

“Which ones specifically?” I want to know. “A kind of concierge at shopping malls, for example,” Christian says. “Imagine strolling through a bunch of different stores and boutiques, making some purchases – and having everything delivered to a designated pickup zone, where the car has been reparked fully automatically. And all of your purchases are stowed there in your trunk without you having to carry them. Something like this is entirely possible.” But other aspects are also important, he says. The use of available parking spaces becomes much more efficient because the Audi drives directly to the vacant space detected by the system without making any detours. “And that,” says Christian, “reduces consumption. And particularly in the case of cars with internal combustion engines, also carbon emissions. This is a factor that shouldn’t be underestimated when it comes to sustainability.”

In the meantime, the exhibition center has gotten really busy. Even here in the parking garage, which is only partly dedicated to the AVP demonstration, there are now a lot of people coming and going. Time to tell my Audi to come on back. I take my smartphone out of my pocket and use the app to instruct my Audi to return to the drop-off zone – and after just a few minutes, the car rolls right up. But before it makes the last short turn into the drop-off zone to my left, it stops – someone unexpectedly pops out between two parked cars pushing a fully loaded shopping cart. And then the car parks itself – and we’re ready for the ride home.