Parking is a pain. You might even call it a bugbear, if you’re charming and British like the narrator of this video, who announces that Ford has created a self-parking car:
Cars have gotten wider over the years, but parking spaces have remained the same size (stubborn punks). The solution isn’t, as you might hope, using the spaces as parking for bikes or Smart Cars or pop-up parks — where’s the money in that for Ford?! — but rather making self-parking cars so you don’t have to hold your breath while squeezing out of your vehicle. (I guess it’s a more flashy alternative to simply making narrower cars.)
The car “first finds a parking space, and then maneuvers into it,” British Guy explains. But what if there’s no parking? Are you trapped in your car FOR ETERNITY while the vehicle slowly revolves up through a million levels of parking garage hell, like a reverse Dante’s Inferno?
Nope. “The driver doesn’t even need to be inside,” continues British Guy. WHEW. Then instead of taking public transit, I’m just gonna sneak away quietly while my car has the joy of trying to find a space downtown on a Saturday night.
