BMW and Valeo have announced a strategic cooperation to co-develop fully automated parking technologies up to Level 4, with a focus on next-generation high-end parking user experiences for customers on private grounds and parking facilities.
This partnership builds upon their existing collaboration for the development of an ADAS domain controller, sensors, and software for parking and maneuvering for BMW’s upcoming platform generation “Neue Klasse.”
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What is Automated Parking?
Automated parking is a cutting-edge technology that allows vehicles to park themselves without human intervention. Automated Valet Parking (AVP), a type of automated parking, offers drivers and passengers a fully automated and driverless parking experience.
With AVP, the driver leaves the car at a drop-off zone, and the vehicle takes over tasks such as autonomously finding a parking spot, parking in and out, and even driving back to a pick-up zone to return the vehicle to the driver. Additional services like fully automated charging or fully automated washing can also be deployed to optimize the use of the parking time.
The Future of Automated Parking
The partnership between BMW and Valeo will co-develop AVP solutions that will permit Level 4 driverless operation in BMW’s upcoming series of production vehicles. This will involve more than 100 R&D specialists from both companies over the duration of the collaboration.
The software functions are based on the current automated parking software stack first launched with the BMW iX in 2021. In the next generation, it will be further extended by a powerful computing platform hosting jointly developed algorithms.
According to the draft of an upcoming ISO standard, AVP solutions will be clustered into two main categories, Type 1 and Type 2 systems. For a Type 1 system, the necessary technologies (including all sensors, computing units, and algorithms) run on the vehicle, while for a Type 2 system, the required technologies (including sensors and the AVP management system) are installed in the relevant infrastructure, such as a parking facility, and the vehicle is controlled by the infrastructure.
The partnership supports both AVP Type 1 and Type 2 systems and will strive for the most advanced solutions for next-generation parking experiences up to Level 4 according to market and customer requirements.
Nicolai Martin, Senior Vice President Driving Experience, BMW Group, said, “This joint development is an important milestone for the BMW Group with regards to our next generation of automated driving and parking. With scalable L4 parking experiences, we confirm and strengthen our leading position in this domain. The BMW Group is excited to further extend its long-lasting partnership with Valeo with this strategic cooperation. We aim to continue delivering world-class driving and parking experiences to our customers.”
Marc Vrecko, President of Valeo’s Comfort and Driving Assistance Systems Business Group, added, “Building on already commercialized software stack components, this cooperation will leverage our know-how and technologies, such as advanced AI-based computer vision algorithms, and enable us to extend our portfolio to L4 functions as well as into cloud services. Other automakers will be able to join this platform, with BMW once again setting the standard for the most intuitive and pleasant user experience that its customers rightly expect.”
Final Thoughts
The cooperation between BMW and Valeo for the co-development of fully automated parking technologies up to Level 4 is an exciting development for car enthusiasts. Automated parking is an innovative technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way we park our cars.
With this strategic cooperation, BMW and Valeo are confirming their leading positions in the domain and aim to deliver world-class driving and parking experiences to their customers. We can’t wait to see what these two companies come up with next.
