BMW brings technology solution to parking

BMW customers can expect a new parking feature in all new vehicles thanks to Parkmobile.

Parkmobile recently announced at the 2017 International Parking Institute Annual Conference that it will be extending its full capabilities into all new BMW vehicles. This follows a successful year-long partnership between the two companies as Parkmobile was available in the BMW 5 series line.

Parkmobile is an application allowing customers to locate, reserve and pay for parking from their mobile device. It currently includes 2,000 locations and 250 cities across the United States and Canada in its system.

“We are extremely proud to partner with BMW to deliver this tremendous innovation in the automotive and parking industries alike,” said Jon Ziglar, Parkmobile’s CEO.

The benefits for BMW drivers extend past locating available on and off-street parking spaces. With the integration of Parkmobile, drivers will be able to find and reserve parking through the car navigation system as well as pay for their parking.

Using the vehicle’s navigation system and GPS, customers will be prompted to choose and pay for the space through the touch screen, eliminating the need for an app or an old-fashioned street meter.

While in vehicle, drivers may also choose their time limit, but this limit can be adjusted once the driver has stepped away from the vehicle using the Parkmobile app. Once the driver returns to the vehicle and begins driving, the system will end the parking session automatically.

“By embedding real-time parking payment and advanced reservations capabilities into the automobile itself, we complete the circle of delivering a truly seamless parking experience for drivers in any scenario, whether it be on-street, off-street, real-time or in advance.” Ziglar said. “Furthermore, this is a significant step in paving the way for autonomous vehicles of the future to control and manage the end of their journey unassisted.”

BMW also owns a majority share in Parkmobile.