Automated payment for parking directly via the navigation system of the new BMW 5* with PARK NOW – experienced live for the first time at the Vienna Autoshow.
The Vienna Autoshow took place from 12th to 15th January 2017 and saw around 150,000 people come to visit the 40 car manufacturers and over 400 new car models on display at the exhibition centre in Vienna.
One of the highlights was the new BMW 5 Series, which was making its European debut at the Autoshow, and featured PARK NOW, the innovative digital parking service, fully integrated into the car. While the BMW 5 Series impresses with a new autonomous parking feature, you might ask yourself, how convenient can that really be, if in the end you still have to rummage for change at the parking meter to get your ticket?
Thankfully, PARK NOW has thought this through and allows easy and cashless payment directly via the navigation system. When parking the car on-street, PARK NOW automatically detects if a parking zone is subject to charge and a digital parking ticket can be activated with a single click. As soon as you set off again, the parking period is terminated automatically and payment is carried out cashless and to-the-minute.
Parking in car parks is even easier. A parking stay starts and ends automatically with the ticketless entry and exit via licence plate recognition or via the PARK NOW access card. Cashless payment via PayPal, direct debit or credit card at the end of the month spares you from having to wait in line at the ticket machine and leaves you with more time for the fun things in life.
PARK NOW aims to make parking as easy and stress-free as possible. In addition to the existing features, such as parking information and cashless payment of parking fees on- and off-street, users will soon be able to benefit from an innovative parking prediction system which will provide real-time parking space availability at the point of destination.
Perhaps most importantly, PARK NOW brings digital parking services to where they belong – directly into the connected vehicle. PARK NOW is already fully integrated into selected series-production cars. As an integral part of the navigation system, PARK NOW guides the user in a context-sensitive way to largely automate the entire parking process. PARK NOW typically provides the necessary services for this feature to all interested automotive manufacturers and mobility providers. The first to launch was BMW, with PARK NOW integrated into most new car models* produced since November 2016.
*Requires ConnectedDrive and the navigation system Professional.