BMW Makes An i3 That Can Park Itself In A Parking Structure

Driving up level after level in a multi-story parking structure could be a thing the past thanks to technology BMW is showing off at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show.

Using a research BMW i3, the company is previewing a 360-degree Remote Valet Parking System at CES in Las Vegas, which will be held January 6-9.

According to BMW, four laser scanners around the vehicle can detect walls and other objects near the car. A smartwatch app sends the car off to navigate a multi-level structure without the driver being in it – lasers helping direct the driverless i3 around. When a parking spot is detected, the car parks itself in.

And when the human summons the car from his or her watch, the whole process happens again. In theory, anyway.

The valet parking system is based off of the 360-degree collision avoidance system BMW is also showing at CES on this i3. If the vehicle gets too close to those objects, the automatic braking is activated. When the driver steers away from whatever he or she might have crashed into, the auto-brake is released.

Last year, Volvo showed off its autonomous parking system using road transmitters. BMW is trying to use navigation without GPS and scanners to determine the car’s proximity to objects. Both Volvo and BMW are looking to beyond 2020 before systems such as these can be implemented.

They just wanted you to know they’re cool and they’re working on them. Well, they are good ideas.