Older Western self-parking systems may be affected by automakers’ outdated approach to creating new features. For newer manufacturers such as Tesla, BYD and Xpeng, parallel self-parking “is part of a holistic autonomous driving capability,” says Jeremy Carlson, head of autonomous vehicle research at S&P Global Mobility. These manufacturers start with the software and they are willing to spend the money to add additional sensors to allow for more sophisticated parking. In contrast, other manufacturers have tended to build their functions as discrete pieces, which can cause rigidity: “Usability can suffer,” he emphasizes.
Drivers may also neglect smart parking features because they don’t trust the systems, says Greg Stevens, a former Ford engineer and current research director at MCity, a vehicle technology center affiliated with the University of Michigan. Parallel parking requires handling a large, heavy, expensive object in a tight space, close to other large, heavy, expensive objects, and mistakes are costly: “Overcoming that confidence hurdle has been a big problem,” Stevens says.
Automation Adulation
In urban China, by contrast, the government has groomed a new class of middle-class drivers to embrace technology, including features made by its powerful domestic auto industry. Regulators have authorized national car companies to use more automated systems on public roads, including fully autonomous vehicles.
According to the findings of a McKinsey report, all this exposure has increased consumer enthusiasm for autonomous driving more than in other countries. In a survey conducted by the consultancy in 2021, 60% of Chinese respondents said they would probably buy a car capable of driving itself on the highway if this feature were offered for less than $10,000, compared to 57% of Americans and 36% of Germans.
As more sophisticated automated systems debut on roads around the world, parking could become a topic of greater interest. Ford spokesman Alan Hall notes that while the automaker’s parallel parking feature is going away, its automated driving package includes features that help human drivers park, such as reversing cameras, front parking and a reverse braking assistant.
For his part, Ford CEO Jim Farley is an avowed fan of Chinese-style automotive development, saying on a podcast last month that he appreciated that many of China’s biggest automakers also make mobile phone technology. . In fact, he admitted that he had been driving an electric SUV from the Chinese mobile phone and automotive giant Xiaomi for six months: “I don’t want to give it up,” he said.
As more complex technology hits the streets, parking lots and garages are an ideal place to demonstrate the new capabilities, says Carlson, the analyst. After all, cars travel more slowly there, so the risk of an accident is much lower. After several delays, Tesla in September introduced its new “smart (supervised) calling” feature, designed to maneuver a vehicle out of a parking space and around corners to meet a driver (or, more accurately, their phone with GPS) at distances of up to 5 meters. But Tesla warns that drivers “must continually monitor the vehicle and its surroundings” and be prepared to intervene at any time, and the company’s video showing the feature has been sped up, making it appear faster.
In the past, automated features in some vehicles were like “driving with a 15-year-old with a learner’s permit,” says Stevens, the research director. “People don’t want more stress in their lives, which is perhaps why many don’t use parallel parking features. Once the technology not only satisfies but solves problems – as Chinese manufacturers’ offerings may do – perhaps drivers change their minds.
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