Automatic parking systems are particularly suitable for electric vehicles

Wöhr has developed and tested new solutions, since the charging of future electric cars will occur during parking and parking systems have clear advantages compared to ramp garages: in the case of parking bays in conventional garages or at street level one charging station is required for each charging parking bay. If a vehicle is parked there, the charging station is occupied during the parking for this vehicle, even if the charging has long since ceased. For the operators of ramp garages, the decision how many charging stations are to be arranged at which bay is not simple. The future demand for electric cars is difficult to assess and charging stations with the required infrastructure are expensive. At the same time earning opportunities at the electricity prices to be expected are rather low.

If one is the fortunate owner of an environmentally friendly electric car and also wants to charge during parking in the city, a parking space with a charging station first has to be found. If the few charging places in the parking garage are already occupied in the worst case even by vehicles with a combustion engine, which has parked there despite the signs the driver must leave the parking garage and try his luck in the next parking garage.

It is far simpler with automated parking systems where cars are parked on pallets in high-rise stackers or in slender parking towers. One or a few charging stations are available for many parking spaces, since electric cars are moved to the bay with the charging station with the help of the conveying technology. They remain there for as long as the charging time was requested or until the charging process has been completed. Looking for a parking space in an automated parking system is in any case unnecessary the driver does not need to look for the parking space with a charging station either. Incorrect occupations of the charging station by vehicles with a combustion engine can be ruled out. If parking occurs overnight, the driver can request that his vehicle is only charged at a time with a more favourable nighttime tariff.

Automated parking systems have controls, which can be extended with the functions for charging electric cars. When parking the user also puts in his request for charging at the operating panel after he has parked his car at the transfer station and left it. The gate is closed and the car is moved immediately or later to the bay with the charging station depending on requirements and there linked up to the power supply.

Various charging options are already being tested. When charging with cable and plug the user already has to insert the cable with the plug from the cable bar on the pallet into the socket on his car when parking.

The power supply occurs only in the high-rise bay with the connection to the charging station. The inductive cable connection is far more user-friendly without cable connection. In doing so the driver parks on the induction mat on the pallet of the parking system when parking. Automatic parking systems have a sensor system, which support the user when positioning the vehicle on the pallet.

This sensor system will in future help in positioning on the induction mat. If the electric vehicle has an induction coil on the vehicle bottom for contactless charging the driver can dispense with inserting the cable connection.

If the need for charging stations in the parking system rises, the number of parking bays with power supply can be easily and cheaply expanded, since no elaborate charging pillars with their own means of operation are required. The central operating panel at the transfer station of the parking system assumes the function for all charging bays.