ROME – The farewell defined at the parking meter is getting closer and closer. The payment of parking, in the future, apparently from the latest developments, may no longer involve the use of coins, cards or smartphones: a tax that of the blue stripes that moves away from the duties of the motorist, to prepare to become a real automated operation…. carried out directly from the car.
The car pays for parking automatically
To date, the app that is currently used on the smartphone is integrated directly into the car’s infotainment system and can carry out the transaction on request. The idea, specifically launched by EasyPark – a system that has over 10 million drivers in Europe – relies on the collaboration of latest generation vehicles and their on-board connectivity. Objective? Improve the time of rest.
A little big revolution
It is not a novelty, moreover, that between searching for a place, parking meters that cannot be found or not working – the number plates to remember – the experience, at times, becomes a real delirium for motorists … even for smart ones: who is never found himself with his cell phone dead at the end of the day?
The solution, therefore, especially for urban drivers, may seem like a little big revolution. “The integration of the app into the car opens up further innovative scenarios to look at in the future – says Cameron Clayton, CEO of EasyPark Group -. The hypothesis of a car capable of automatically starting and stopping parking sessions is now closer than ever. Thanks to the app, the driver can manage parking from the car display, without having to use any physical device or smartphone “.
How does it work
After stopping in a paid parking area, as mentioned, the driver can use the app directly from the car screen: confirm the start of the stop and get out of the vehicle. When he returns and starts the engine, the vehicle asks him to stop the transaction, directly issuing an electronic receipt. One way to ensure that you only pay for the actual time you spend there, instead of potentially shelling out too much or too little.
Not only. The operating mode such as “Autostop” also improves the experience: obviously nothing to do with hosting strangers on board, but rather the automatic “stop” of payment, when the vehicle moves away from the blue lines: without reconfirmation on the app in the display, as you should do to close the session and start the parking payment. The automated stop is in effect the first step towards a “smart” parking experience that no longer involves the driver, thanks to the data provided in this case by Easy Park.
On which cars is it available?
The system can already be tested on the new Renault Megane E-Tech Electric, and on the Volvo XC40 Recharge, C40 and in the 2022 versions of XC60, S90, V90 (including 90 Cross Country) as well as Polestar 2. Also available for Mercedes Benz, but currently only in Germany (around 200 cities).