Volkswagen and Bosch collaborate on testing robot parking and automated EV charging

Volkswagen's software division, Cariad, and Bosch are partnering to bring a fresh twist to automated parking by integrating electric vehicle (EV) charging into the concept.

The German companies aim to develop a system that autonomously guides electric vehicles to available parking spaces equipped with charging spots, where a charging robot automatically recharges them. After completing the charging process, the EVs will move themselves to unoccupied spaces, allowing the charging robot to serve another EV.

The technology is currently undergoing testing in two parking garages in Germany—Cariad's staff parking garage in Ingolstadt and Bosch's development parking garage in Ludwigsburg.

The initiative addresses common challenges in the EV charging experience, including long queues at charging spots and cable handling issues. While promising, the project faces obstacles such as establishing communication standards between vehicles and charging robots and ensuring the robot's continuous uptime.