Apr. 14 – Finding a suitable parking space is often hard, and parking has become a form of art in its own right. Soon, however, studies show that super-smart cars will be able to park themselves. To bring this future a little closer to the present, a number of research teams are currently working on the technology. And Italians could not ignore this opportunity to bring a little of “Italian style” to the process. Electric vehicles have kept their sustainable mobility promise for the future, yet the current technology still has some limitations, such as the short driving range and long charging times. To date, these vehicles are not yet an effective alternative to traditional motor vehicles. But many researchers are developing innovative approaches that connect short and long haul travel times, and that investigate potential interactions between public and private transport. This is the field explored by the V-Charge project, designed by the research groups of the Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and the Universities of Braunschweig, Oxford, and Parma in collaboration with Bosch and Volkswagen AG. The project, named after “Valet parking and recharge,” received funding for more than €5 million by the European Union. The trials began in June 2011 and will end on September 30, 2015. V -Charge seeks to lay the foundations for a world in which travelers will carry out the majority of intercity trips using a well-developed long distance transport network to complete the last stretch of the journey in a comfortable electric vehicle. To support this project, researchers are developing V-Charge parking systems, where electric vehicles will be able to find charging stations and dedicated parking spots. Travelers can use a smartphone app to start charging their cars. After charging the battery, users can simply call up the vehicle through the application.
