The future of car parks
Our relationship with cars is ever-changing, and it’s crucial for the future of car parks that we keep
up with public opinion and technology.
Let’s take a look at some of the most high-tech and user-friendly designs in use today, and discuss
this new era for the once humble car park.
How modern technology is affecting the future of car park design
With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things, connectivity is increasing and most new cars are
equipped to join this network. This, along with the steady move towards autonomous and electric
vehicles (EVs), presents modern car park designers with opportunities that were unavailable even 10
years ago.
The concrete jungle-like multi-storeys are swiftly being replaced with airy, well-lit and spacious car
parks, but this new shift in tech and public opinion means that even these new more user-friendly
designs are in need of upgrading.
What are the solutions?
We fully expect the future of car parks to include these exciting changes, and predict that they’ll be
commonplace in the next 5-10 years:
- Charging stations – as more and more consumers move from fossil fuel powered cars to
EVs, we’ll see charging stations become the norm in modern car parks. It’s even possible
that car parks could join with the electricity grid and help distribute energy more evenly
– essentially becoming massive batteries. - Automatic parking – imagine driving your car into a docking station at the car park
entrance and having a robot lift it and place it in a storage space until you return. Well,
this is already happening in some parts of the world! Automatic or robot parking makes
much better use of space and is safer for car park users – no parking prangs or risk to
personal safety. - Autonomous vehicles – saving space and making car parks more efficient is easy when
you can hop out of your car and let it park itself! The car park becomes a short-term
storage facility and can do away with door opening space, lighting and all the comforts
humans currently need and expect.
The future of payment
The Internet of Things is also presenting us with automatic payment solutions. It’s easy to see how a
simple mobile app will be able to track the length of time you’re parked and charge your card
directly. You won’t need to find change, worry about losing a ticket or hang around in a queue to pay
– all of which is much more convenient, quicker and safer.
The Trafalgar Street team are all excited about the future of car parks and hope that you’ve enjoyed
this glimpse into the possibilities for our industry.