Digital support in the search for a parking space has been occupying startups in Germany for several years. Because the search for a parking space itself is an extremely arduous topic. We need ten minutes on average to find a free parking space, according to a survey. A further analysis by Audi shows that approximately 30 percent of traffic jams during rush hour are caused by people looking for a parking space. Reason enough for disruptors to devote themselves to this problem – solutions are sought – intelligent parking is the challenge.
German start-ups have been quite successful in recent months, as the recent history of exits and capital increases shows. In the meantime, the corporates have also discovered this market niche. And they do their homework through so-called acquisition hires, i.e. they buy the know-how of the startups and aggressively implement the expansion of business models in-house with the digital teams.
At the end of last year, Evopark sold its shares to the park specialist Scheidt & Bachmann in Mönchengladbach. About four years after its foundation, the startup Parkpocket was sold to the automotive supplier Continental last September. Telefónica and GFT Technologies had initially financed the start-up. Both corporates plan to benefit from the founders’ know-how in smart parking.
At Parkpocket, the startup collects data from commercial parking facilities and offers a price comparison and navigation to the cheapest available parking space via an app. Parkpocket licenses the data obtained in this way to vehicle manufacturers and card providers. After the solution was initially offered for the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Continental is pushing ahead with the internationalization of the concept.
Further start-ups are working on solutions for a more efficient search for a parking space. The VW-sponsored Smart City Systems from Nuremberg in Franconia, for example, built a small box, the Parking Pilot. This can be installed in a parking lot. Here exact occupancy conditions are recorded and arriving vehicles are directed to free spaces. This results in more effective parking space utilisation and less search stress.
Munich startup ParkHere, a spin-off of the TU Munich, follows a similar principle. Here, energy self-sufficient ground sensors are installed in the ground, which do not require maintenance or charging. The sensor provides real-time data on the availability of parking spaces. This makes it easier for car park searchers to find a parking space. No external power supply or battery is required, the necessary energy is generated by the weight of the passing cars. Thanks to simple and quick installation, the sensors can be used quickly in cities.
The example of Evopark and ParkHere shows that start-ups can sometimes work together. While the Cologne Evopark solution concentrates on multi-storey car parks, ParkHere is active on the open road with its solution. So why not think about a joint solution for parking space optimization?
Intelligent parking thanks to cooperations among startups
But ParkHere also shows that further cooperation with solution providers in the field of e-mobility can make sense. Their CEO Harteneck recently stated in an interview: “Together with the charging station operators, we want to develop a pricing model that combines parking time with charging time. This is cheaper, because up to now, electric car owners have mainly been asked to pay by the kilowatt hour. A popular parking lot near a shopping mile could also be used as a charging station. In this way, the annoying problem of the delivery of charging stations can also be countered. With the help of the ParkHere solution, vibrations in the ground can be used to identify the type of vehicle. And if it is not an electric drive, the towing service can be informed.
Last week, the Munich startup Cleverciti Systems was the talk of the town. The Bavarians were able to collect an impressive 12.6 million euros in the current financing. In addition to the former investors SPDG, the family office of the Belgian Périer-D’leteren group, the energy group EnBW was also involved in the financing round with its new venture. Also on board is The Westly Group, which is also invested in Tesla. The US-VC takes on the task for Cleverciti of networking the company with international energy companies. They have a key role in the development of intelligent cities.
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Cleverciti combines many aspects of parking management in one integrated system. This includes overhead sensors, management software and analysis technology, as well as its own smartphone app. The aim of the system and sensor technology for smart parking is to reduce parking search traffic and CO2 emissions.
“Our financing round enables Cleverciti Systems to rapidly expand its activities in the USA, Europe and other international markets,” says Cleverciti Systems CEO Thomas Hohenacker. In addition to its headquarters in Munich, the company also has offices in Chicago and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We need ten minutes on average to find a free parking space.”
Smart founders in Germany are concentrating on an elementary area of mobility inefficiencies in cities. Intelligent parking is an integral part of smart city investments and a part of improving mobility in metropolitan areas.
Image Rights: Cleverciti, Evopark, ParkHere
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