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Dell and Envision Solar refashion parking lot into clean energy farm, EV recharge station (video)
Dell has added a shiny new feather to its cap today with the announcement of a freshly completed Solar Grove renewable energy installation. The system is composed of 512 solar panels, which provide shelter for 56 cars, and are capable of harvesting 131,000 kWh of energy per year. This power will be primarily used in the adjacent Round Rock HQ, but CleanCharge stations will also be available should you wish to juice up your electric vehicle on Mother Nature's finest. No matter how much Dell might have splashed out to bring this integration together, we can't help but suspect that the smug satisfaction of getting free energy -- both in pecuniary and ecological terms -- must be priceless. Video awaits after the break.
Ford announces self-parking cars, future 16 year olds totally psyched
We've seen self-parking automobiles before, but Ford's system -- part of the company's new power steering technology -- not only works on hills (unlike the Lexus), but employs sensors that are also used on the road to monitor blind spots and notify the driver of approaching traffic. The auto-parking technology is set to debut on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle, while the new-school power steering -- which uses the vehicle's battery rather than its hydraulic system, improving fuel economy and reducing carbon emissions in the process -- should be popping up in nearly ninety percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles by 2012. Pretty soonish, by auto industry standards, but not soon enough for the nation's tenth graders, who will need to perfect their three point turns if they want to get their licenses before the Spring Fling.
San Francisco to test wireless parking sensors, cause rat races to momentarily open spaces
We dig the idea in theory, we really do, but we can definitely see this causing more harm than good. Starting this fall, San Francisco will begin a trial involving wireless parking sensors in 6,000 of its 24,000 metered spaces, enabling antsy drivers to be alerted via street signs or cellphones when a spot becomes available. Only one problem -- give 50 anxious motorists the same message that a single spot is unoccupied, and you've just created a bona fide mess. Though it'd probably be fun to watch from the sidelines, wouldn't you agree?[Via Core77]
Heathrow Airport's parking garage to get automated tracking system
Finally, someone has had the kindness to step in and solve the age-old problem of finding your car at the airport. Britain's Heathrow -- a major hub for scores of European airlines and their travelers -- is about to unleash a new wing known as Terminal 5, and as part of the package, its parking lot is getting an upgrade. A new automated system in the garage will snap a photo of your license plate as you head in, direct you to a space using illuminated arrows and an infrared camera tracking system, then issue a ticket which can be read at a kiosk when you get back. When you insert the stub into the reader, a digital display shows you a 3D map of the carpark, and points you to the exact location of your vehicle. According to planners, the project will reduce traffic, cut carbon emissions by 397 tons per year, and will halve the number of relationship-ending arguments that occur while trying to find a car.[Thanks, Rastrus]
Nissan's Around View arrives in the US December
Ok, it's not a jetpack or flying car but Nissan's new Around View Monitor is impressive transportation tech nonetheless. Best of all, it's available this month in Japan's new Elgrand before showing up Stateside December in the new Infiniti EX35. The Around View Monitor synthesizes the system's four, 180-degree cameras into a single display for a bird's-eye-view of your car's position on the road. Now even Bridge-n-Tunnelers will be able to parallel park outside their favorite East Village bar. Full video after the break. [Via FarEastGizmos]
Networked cameras to seek out parking violators
The folks in England just can't catch a break. As if hovering surveillance drones, camcorder-wielding traffic wardens and helmet cam-equipped officers aren't enough to keep you on the straight and narrow, London's city of Westminster is apparently looking to "install networked security cameras that can recognize parking permits and the plates of offending vehicles." Essentially, the system would enable parking violators to be ticketed without an actual human witnessing the offense, and it's being dubbed "the most significant application to be deployed on the Westminster's WiFi network." Eventually, the council plans to roll out about 250 of these sure-to-be-hated cameras, and it should ruin enough people's days to "pay for itself in two to three years."[Via CNET, image courtesy of BBC]
Robotic parking garage hits New York
Although international locales have warmed up quite nicely to automated parking garages, they haven't proven quite as popular here on American soil, and although Fort Lauderdale has one (and the Florida-based Hollywood Grande has one in the works), we'd say it's about time the Big Apple got one of its own. Notably, the controversial Robotic Parking Systems, Inc. that crafted the court-entangled deck in Hoboken, New Jersey won't have a hand in this one, as Automotion Parking Systems (the US subsidiary of Germany's Stolzer Parkhaus) will be utilizing its highly proclaimed technology to hopefully save New Yorkers from the same "drops and traps" that Garden State folks have unfortunately had to deal with. The company stated that in the 11 years it has crafted robotic garages, "only one car has been damaged," and it feels that even that single issue has been resolved with the latest sensor / laser upgrades. In fact, Ari Milstein, the director of planning for the firm, boldly stated that it's "a complete virtual impossibility that damage can occur," which most certainly leaves little no room for error. The Chinatown-based garage will hoist, shuffle, and park vehicles without a single human supervisor, stuffing 67 vehicles into a space that could typically hold 24, and it even spins your ride around when you return so there's no need to throw it in reverse when exiting. Rates actually aren't too outrageous either, as you'll be asked for around $400 for a monthly pass, or $25 if you're just in for the day.
Bosch unveils parking space measurement system
While Toyota already has its self-parking Prius on the streets, and Volkswagen (not to mention BMW and Honda) isn't too far behind, Citroën is joining the fold thanks to a newly-unveiled system developed by Bosch. Citing the C4 Picasso as the "world's first car to feature integrated parking space measurement," Bosch apparently hopes to get its own snazzy parking assistant on more rides in the future. The system utilizes six total sensors on the front / rear of the vehicle to gauge parking space dimesntions (and alert you of obstacles) while cruising by at up to 12.5-miles per hour, and can inform the driver if the space he / she is eying is too small, "a tight squeeze," or just right. The system initiates the measuring process when the motorist tags a button on their steering wheel, and looks to the right or left depending on which turn signal is in use. While not quite as advanced as Toyota's gig, Bosch hopes to upgrade its system to allow the vehicle itself to control the maneuvering sometime in 2008, but those not able to hold out can pick up the current rendition real soon.[Via Gizmag]
Orange, SFR team up to ease parking in Paris
Here in the US of A, we like to do things the old fashioned way. Case in point: when we're looking for a way to track availability of parking spaces in real time, we turn to satellite radio for the answer (okay, fine... bad example). In France, Carriers Orange and SFR have teamed up with NavX, V-Traffic, and a number of other firms to take an arguably simpler approach to the problem. A new feature on Orange's portal (and we're guessing SFR's as well) enables users to search for nearby parking garages with available spots; cell triangulation can estimate the phone's position, or the user can enter a location manually. Of course, only garages explicitly participating in the system will be listed, but seeing how everyone has a phone, we could imagine the holdouts losing business at a brisk pace.[Via The Wireless Report]
Honda to add automated parallel-parking gadgetry
Honda is joining the automated parallel-parking party with the addition of a "parking device" to its latest model of the Life mini-vehicle, which will be released on October 5. Similar to other models by Toyota, Volkwagen and BMW, this newfangled widget will do all the hard work of straining to see the right angles and talking you through the whole process, while you apply the gas and brakes. The so-called "parking device" (c'mon guys, couldn't you have come up with a better name?) will also be sold separately for ¥52,500 ($450) -- no word on if it installs itself, though.
New Volkswagen Touran sports automatic parking
Joining the lengthening list of automakers giving folks a break when it comes to parking in those tight spots, Volkswagen has announced that its upcoming Touran van will be the company's first vehicle to include ParkAssist. Utilizing those spiffy ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear of the automobile, a control unit determines the available space and best suited trajectory to maneuver the vehicle into a parking spot. "Acoustic and visual displays" help guide the (probably overwhelmed) driver into the correct starting position, and once he / she throws it in reverse, ParkAssist takes over. As the system's name implies, it's not fully autonomous, and the system still requires you to apply acceleration / brakes while it handles the steering end of it. While this may not be as adventurous as riding shotgun in a vehicle on autopilot, the promise of parking within 15 seconds of ParkAssist kicking in is rather impressive, and you can expect this fancy (and likely costly) option to be available beginning June 2007.[Via Gizmag]
Legal woes over robotic parking garage
Robotic parking garages, albeit very few and far between, aren't exactly new creations, but the original fully-automated deck in Hoboken, New Jersey has found itself the center of unwanted attention. For those unfamiliar with the process, bustling commuters follow computerized instructions to park (and exit) their vehicle on a steel slab, where the car is then hoisted upward and slid into an open bay until recalled. The robotic car shufflers can cram 324 vehicles into a 100- by 100-foot lot, which is more than double the amount traditional lots hold. But all has not been well for the automated car-lifters -- the city of Hoboken has been locked in a bitter dispute with Robotic Parking, which owns the software that operates the garage, over a contractual violation dealing with the intellectual property owned solely by the company. After the city decided to change the deck's management, they failed to stop using the proprietary software that was licensed to them, while succeeding in cutting off Robotic Parking's royalties. As expected, legal blows starting flying as Hoboken reportedly claimed there were "booby traps" in the company's software (but they kept using it?), while Robotic Parking demanded reparations for the unpaid use of their code. The dust has began to settle, at least somewhat, as both parties recently agreed to a deal in which the city shells out $5,500 / month for "licensure and support" of the software for the next three years, after which we assume Robotic Parking will promptly be kicked to the curb. This definitely isn't the first time lawsuits have caused headaches in consumer electronics, and it's presumably not the last, but it just goes to show that you should probably see if certain things are "reserved" before pulling on in.
Future BMWs will self-park in your garage
Anyone whose garage is so packed full of junk that getting in and out of the car is nearly impossible will appreciate a new feature set to debut on future BMW models that allows you to stand outside while your Bimmer parks itself (as well as unparks itself, we assume, or this tech wouldn't be very useful). The German manufacturer recently released a video of this self-parking wizardry -- you can catch it by following the Read link -- which shows a happy homeowner simply pushing a button on his keyfob to fire up the motor, retract the side-view mirrors, and send the car on a controlled journey to its home just inches from another luxury ride. The system leverages distance-sensing technology that we've seen before from Mercedes, Toyota, and the like, but requires a reflective lens on the garage wall to operate, which unfortunately precludes its use in public parking lots. Still a pretty useful feature, but if it takes three years to find its way into commercial vehicles as BMW anticipates, we'll probably already have the parking covered with those self-driving models we've been promised.
More cities using personal parking meters
Parking meters have made huge strides in recent years, with some of them -- such as pay-by-cell systems -- providing increased convenience to change-starved consumers, while others -- like auto-resetting meters -- have made it harder to get away with modest infractions like picking up a previous parker's minutes. Now, what may be the ultimate in parking convenience, the "personal meter" is starting to catch on in more major cities. The small card readers have been around for several years, but have recently become more popular; last month, Buffalo expanded its pilot system from a service for handicapped drivers to a citywide program. Buffalo's system, like many others, relies on the Smart Park reader, from Israel's Ganis Systems. The card reader can hang from a car's rearview mirror, and can be programmed with a city's parking rules. When a driver parks, he inserts the card into the meter, sets it for his location, and the meter starts ticking away. Enforcement officers with handheld receivers spot-check cars, and issue tickets based on data they download via an IR link. The system definitely sounds convenient, and could eliminate all of those tickets for underestimating how long you're going to be parked. However, we can't help but think it could be improved by adding wireless communication with servers that can automatically track violations and issue tickets. This could be more efficient than the spot-check system, even if it would put Lovely Rita out of a job.
