Bosch to provide Automated Valet Parking System to GAC

Bosch showcased the full array of its latest innovative technologies and cutting-edge solutions, as well as its upgraded mobility strategy of electrification, connectivity, automation and personalization.

At the Conference, Bosch also officially announced a partnership with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC) on automated valet parking.

Through this partnership, Bosch will provide an automated valet parking system as well as supporting infrastructure hardware and software to the GAC R&D Centre this year for pilot in its parking facilities. Both parties will develop automated valet parking solutions tailored for Chinese use scenarios in joint efforts.

With a focus on “intelligent connectivity”, 2019 Bosch Connected Mobility Conference mainly explored the huge impact of connectivity on future mobility. Connectivity, as one of the key pillars of future mobility trends, is further shaping the entire industrial structure together with electrification, automation and personalisation, while promoting these three trends at the same time: connectivity makes electric powertrains more efficient; there will be no automated driving without connectivity; personalised service is built upon connectivity with big data analysis. Thus, connectivity creates an inter-connected ecosystem for automobile industry and all of vehicles in it.

In the mobility industry, safe delivery of passengers to their destinations is the priority, and driver assistance and automated driving technologies will substantially enhance the safety of vehicle occupants. Bosch is further building up its presence in automation. China is one of the important strategic markets with higher acceptance of autonomous driving technology.

Bosch is adopting a dual strategy in automated driving. One is driver assistance systems, and the other is L4/L5 automated and driverless driving. In 2019 Bosch has seen its L2 ADAS solutions deployed in nearly 40 local OEM models, driving commercialisation of the new technologies. In surround sensing, a critical element for automated driving, Bosch's technologies such as ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors and AI cameras are enabling automated cars to continuously stay on top of the surroundings and making future mobility safer.

Furthermore, thanks to China's support in developing intelligent V2X infrastructure, Bosch is also exploring smart V2X connectivity in automated driving. The sensing data from smart infrastructure, as part of the data source, will help reduce the cost of automated driving systems in vehicles and thus boost the popularisation of automated driving.

An array of cutting-edge technologies from Bosch, including over-the-air firmware update (FOTA), battery in the cloud, and automated valet parking, are helping build intelligent and connected vehicles. Meanwhile, Bosch China has entered into close partnerships with many leading domestic companies for collaborative innovation to make the Internet of Vehicles a reality. The cooperation with GAC on automated valet parking is a solid demonstration.

With vehicles virtually becoming smart devices, the timely update of firmware will be essential to their functional stability. Bosch's FOTA technology enables update of electronic control units (ECUs) in relevant vehicle components over-the-air in a timely and convenient manner. Earlier this year, Bosch and FAW Jiefang jointly announced a strategic cooperation with an aim to realise mass production of firmware updates over the air (FOTA) on commercial vehicles. Bosch is also working on cloud-based battery management for EVs and is in talks with several Chinese enterprises on potential cooperation to support development of EV technologies.