Mercedes-Benz and Bosch open a public smart parking lot in Stuttgart

Bosch and Mercedes became the world’s first companies to receive an official government approval to operate a fully automated parking lot for driverless cars. The German automaker says it had tested the smart parking algorithms in its own garage and was almost ready to implement the same functionality at the parking area of Stuttgart Airport.

In practical terms, it means all self-driving car owners can use an app named APCOA FLOW to reserve and pay for parking spots, after which their cars will be able to drive to the location, occupy the spot and leave it when requested.

The two companies behind the project believe that automated vehicles will play a key role in the mobility of the future. The technology will eliminate the need for drivers to look for parking spots, letting them focus their attention on more important things.