So you're running late for a crucial meeting and the very last thing you need right now is to mess around looking for a parking. But wait, why not stop outside the building's entrance and let the car find its own parking. That day is edging much closer.
With the aim of becoming a leader in automated parking technology, Volkswagen has joined an EU researched project called 'V-Charge', which will see six partners jointly developing new technologies.
While Volvo has already shown its own automated parking concept, the V-Charge project takes it a step further by also organising a charging facility for electric vehicles.
The system works through an app, which the driver activates upon leaving the vehicle. A digital map is then relayed to the car, which can then autonomously navigate its way to an open parking space. If it's an electric vehicle, the system will attempt to find a bay with inductive charging facility, allowing it to be charged up without the need for any sockets to be plugged in, and once it's all charged up, the car will then look for another parking space to free up the charging facility for another vehicle. How mightily considerate of you.
The system doesn't require any complex technical equipment and Volkswagen's current test vehicle simply makes use of cameras, ultrasound sensors, digital maps and 'Car2X' communication technology that allows the car to 'talk' to the surrounding infrastructure.