Smart cities need to be accessible to all, and that includes those who drive electric vehicles (EVs), especially as they continue to rise in popularity. EV drivers using public chargers frequently encounter a problem: their app or car thinks the charger is available, while in reality the charging space is occupied by a vehicle that is not charging, has finished charging, or is occupied by a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE).  The EV industry has even coined a term for this practice, “ICEing”.

ICEing significantly reduces the utilization of publicly accessible urban EV chargers. This reduces revenue for the charging companies and increases frustration for EV drivers seeking a charge. EV chargers are usually subsidized by governments so ICEing also wastes those public funds.

Cleverciti helps its clients reduce ICEing and maximize utilization of EV chargers by monitoring the usage of EV parking spaces both on-street and off-street.  Cleverciti’s sensors provide real-time occupancy detection using industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology to determine if an EV charger has an available parking space. That data is married to the charging status reported by the EV charger itself. Municipalities and/or the charging company are able to access this occupancy status via the Cleverciti Cockpit, where they’ll be able to see a bird’s eye view of usage of all chargers. The accurate availability status of each charger can then be published to EV drivers via standard charging apps, giving drivers the confidence they will find an available space.

This innovative approach to ICEing has already shown tremendous success in the German city of Düsseldorf. To help solve for ICEing, the city receives violation alerts any time a vehicle has been parked in a dedicated EV space, without charging, for at least 10 minutes. This could be either a vehicle that arrives and doesn’t start charging in the first 10 minutes, or a vehicle that has finished charging but remains parked after 10 minutes. The municipality then has the information necessary to enforce correct usage of these spaces, for example by issuing a warning or fine. Data obtained over 3 months in Düsseldorf identified an average of 1.25 violations per charger per day (40 per month). Each of these violations represents lost use of a public asset – the EV Charger – because a vehicle is blocking it while not charging, lost charging revenue, and EV driver frustration.

As the world races to deploy EV chargers, Cleverciti stands ready to support cities and EV charging companies to maximize the utilization of those chargers and to guide EV drivers to available charging spaces.

Book a demo now to see how Cleverciti can help you.

From the invention of the first parking meters, parking technology has come a long way, allowing today’s users to independently navigate the entire parking experience. As technologies continue to advance and parking behavior changes, smart parking is bound to evolve as well. Let’s take a look at the smart parking developments we can expect to see in the future. 

1. Increased Efficiency of Parking Systems

The present generation of parking systems offers basic automation, offering users information on the occupancy status of parking spaces and enabling automated ticketing and payment. Within the next ten years, however, users will expect an increase in the efficiency of parking systems. This will entail, among other things, direct guidance to an available parking space and real-time information about other mobility solutions in the vicinity. 

2. Growing Shared Mobility Market

As much as 50% of current car owners predict that shared mobility services will replace private car ownership—mainly because car sharing is, in many cases, cheaper and more sustainable. The shared mobility market is expected to be valued at $619.5 billion by 2025, which is bound to also impact smart parking. 

3. Including Increasing Mobility Mix in Smart Parking

As transportation systems become more and more integrated, parking operators will have to take a variety of transport options into account. Drivers will need accurate and real-time information on mobility solutions ranging from cars and ride-shares to scooters, public transport, and bicycles. 

4. Reducing Emissions with Smart Parking Systems

As cities around the world set out to reduce their harmful emissions, smart parking will be an increasingly important part of environmental initiatives. Deploying a citywide smart parking solution is the fastest way a city can reduce its traffic congestion—and with that, its emissions. Other changes such as a switch to more electric vehicles or more efficient air conditioning and building insulation require many years of changes in consumer behavior, while smart parking shows its effects almost overnight.  

5. Increasing Analysis of and Need for Parking Data

As parking requirements change, parking operators will have to analyze changes in parking behavior. In-depth analyses require data. Smart parking systems will therefore not only have to provide reliable services to users but also generate accurate data on parking behaviors, peak hours, etc. 

6. Restructuring Parking Spaces to Accommodate Autonomous Vehicles

With the rise of autonomous vehicles, parking spaces will have to be replanned and restructured to accommodate their needs that differ from those of conventional vehicles. They will change the usage of cars in general and parking modalities in particular with their self-parking features and robotic valet parking. 

Download our full guide to smart cities and the future of smart parking by clicking the button below. 

Munich, February 19th 2021 - Cleverciti is proud to announce the publication of the Ultimate Smart City Parking Guide 2021. When you say smart city parking, you say Cleverciti. That is why we’ve decided to gather all the stats and put down our knowledge and share it with you through this essential Smart City Parking Guide. The complete guide can be downloaded here. 

Why an Ultimate Smart City Parking Guide?

Because smart cities are becoming both increasingly popular and important. Smart cities are the future and smart parking plays a vital part in the development of smart cities. It’s time to shed some light on the challenges that (smart) cities face and how smart parking can help conquer those.

What can you expect from the Ultimate Smart City Parking Guide 2021?

Our aim is to share our knowledge with regard to smart cities, smart parking and new mobility (smart city mobility), and to shine a light on the role smart parking solutions play to support your smart city design.

What’s inside the Ultimate Smart City Parking Guide 2021?

• A detailed analysis of the challenges that cities face today

• Real solutions that tackle these challenges

• The influence of climate change on the development of smart cities

• Insights into the future of smart cities in 2021 and beyond

• The role of smart parking in the development of smart cities

• Emission reduction due to smart parking

• Concrete use cases of smart parking solutions in smart cities

• Insights into the future of smart parking

Download the guide now.:

Here is a sneak preview:

44 Terms All Smart City Leaders and Urban Mobility Professionals Should Know

1. (Driver) adoption

The (driver) adoption is the level of acceptance of the new solution among the intended user group. In other words: does their new behavior reflect what was intended? Do they accept and follow the newly implemented system? Cleverciti, for example, together with their clients, monitors the behavior of drivers before and after implementation of the smart parking solution to measure adoption.

2. AI / Artificial Intelligence

AI or Artificial Intelligence, which is a broader name for the theory and research that involve the intelligence showcased by machines, instead of the natural intelligence displayed by humans and animals involving consciousness and emotionality. 

3. Arrival experience

The arrival experience is the first impression customers/guests get after they have arrived. The moment the customer parks is the first experience he/she has with your service level. That is why it is so important to create a pleasant arrival experience. 

4. Carbon footprint / CO2 footprint

The carbon footprint or CO2 footprint is a calculation of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization or community.

5. Carbon neutrality

Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere with the goal of achieving net zero emissions.  

6. Circling

Circling is the behavior of drivers when they drive around a certain area constantly searching for a free parking spot.

7. (Traffic) congestion

Congestion is also described as overcrowding or blockage. Traffic congestion occurs when the space of the road is not enough anymore to handle the amount of vehicles in traffic.

8. Curb management

With more people ordering online and using ride-hailing services, managing the curb is becoming increasingly important. Curb management solutions include monitoring the loading zone occupancy, identification of vehicle types, issuing permits in advance and more. 

9. Deployment

Deployment is a term used in IT to describe the installation or activation of a new solution. 

10. Dynamic pricing

Dynamic pricing is adapting the price for rental of parking space based on the demand.

11. Dynamic reservation

Dynamic reservation means offering the possibility to drivers to reserve a parking spot ahead of time via an app or website. These reservations can be altered at any point, and become free for another reservation. 

12. Edge-computing

Contrary to cloud computing, with edge-computing, data is not processed in a data center, but in the device itself or by a local computer or server. That is why it is also called a decentralized computing paradigm. 

13. End-to-end-solution

An end-to-end-solution is a solution that covers a process or service from beginning to end and is completely functional on its own without being dependent on a third party.

14. Environmental impact

The environmental impact is defined as any change to the environment resulting from a certain activity, service or product. More recently, this term is used mostly to describe negative effects on the environment.

15. Floating parking spaces

Floating parking spaces are parking spaces that aren’t marked with lines on the ground, for example along the street. Cars can freely park in a line depending on the size of the car. As floating parking spaces cannot be detected by ground sensors, Cleverciti works with overhead sensors that view the object, not the space.

16. Full-service solution

Instead of buying sensors or signs separately, full-service solutions offer a subscription to a full parking solution. This includes support, software as well as hardware upgrades, and even replacement of any failed or updated hardware—making your life easier and parking management more efficient than ever before.

17. GovTech

GovTech is about applying new technologies (such as artificial intelligence, advanced data processing, etc.) to improve the delivery of public services through increasing efficiency and minimizing costs.

18. Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT refers to a system of objects that are interconnected and together make it possible to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention.

19. Maximizing ROI / Maximize return

Return on investment is a standardized measure for profitability. Maximizing the return on investment for parking assets can be done by for example installing a parking guidance system or applying dynamic pricing.

20. Multimodal transport

Multimodal transport is the transportation of goods under a single contract(or), but performed with at least two different modes of transport.

21. On-street parking

On-street parking is parking by taking up room on the actual street alongside the curb, as opposed to parking in a parking garage or a designated parking lot. 

22. Overhead parking sensors

Overhead parking sensors, unlike ground parking sensors, are mounted above parking areas to more efficiently analyze the individual cars below. This type of sensor uses AI and IoT technology while being conveniently mounted on existing lampposts or buildings. 

23. Parking assets

Assets are items of property owned by a person or a company, regarded as having value and available to meet debts, commitments, or legacies. With parking assets are meant: any assets that can be used for parking, such as surface parking lots, parking garages, on-street parking, etc.

24. Parking capacity / occupancy

The parking capacity or occupancy is the measurement of the number of taken parking spots, preferably measured in real-time, so that data on how many parking spots are still free is available at any given time. 

25. Parking data

Parking data is any data related to parking, e.g. parking occupancy, length of stay, specific rush hours in a region, average parking price, parking revenue generated.

26. Parking guidance (system)

Parking guidance is a system that guides the driver to the best available parking space. The most reliable way to do this is with local digital signage.

27. Parking request for proposal (RFP)

A parking request for proposal (RFP) is a public business document that announces and provides details about a parking project, as well as solicits bids from suppliers who will help complete the project. RFPs are commonly used by governments. RFPs usually don’t go into as much detail as tenders. 

28. Parking revenue

Parking revenue is the revenue that is derived from the rental of parking space against a certain price.

29. (Smart) parking tender

A (smart) parking tender is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential smart parking solutions providers.

30. Payment compliance

Payment compliance is the inclination of drivers to pay for their parking spot when they are requested to do so. Cities around the globe struggle to increase parking payment compliance.

31. Real-time data

Real-time data is information that is available immediately after gathering it. There is no delay between gathering the data and being able to access the data. Therefore, it depicts the status of that exact moment.

32. Search traffic / parking search / parking search time

Search traffic, also called parking search or parking search time, is the traffic that is caused by people searching for a parking spot. Around 30% of all traffic is attributed to parking search.

33. Smart city

Smart cities are cities in which the use of technology, information, and data is promoted to enhance and improve the overall infrastructure, quality of life, environmental impact and publicly accessible services. Smart parking solutions, as part of an overall smart mobility or transport plan, are key to the development of a smart city.

34. Smart city mobility plan

A smart city mobility plan is a strategic plan that addresses ways to apply urban mobility solutions to contribute to the development of a smart city. These plans aim to improve the quality of life for citizens and visitors with innovative and efficient methods of moving people and vehicles around the city.

35. Smart lamppost

Smart lampposts are the next generation of the traditional street lamppost equipped with connectivity, (solar) power, and other smart city devices. Existing infrastructure such as traditional lampposts can be transformed into a smart hub easily by adding innovative battery-powered solutions to reduce cost and hassle.

36. Smart mobility

Smart mobility focuses on new and other forms of transport rather than using your own car; such as ride-sharing, car-sharing, public transportation, walking, biking, electric charge stations and more.

37. Smart parking

Smart parking makes data available to drivers at the points where they need to make a decision and allows them to make informed decisions on where to park which gives drivers back time, reduces CO2 emissions and alleviates traffic congestion.

38. Smart parking system

A smart parking system uses real-time data to guide drivers to the best possible parking spot by using overhead sensors and digital signage.

39. Smart tourism

Smart tourism helps tourism destinations become more attractive to visitors by applying information and communications technologies to provide its guests with access to tourism and hospitality products, services, spaces, and experiences.

40. Solution as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS is a new approach to cloud computing that focuses on delivering all aspects of an IT solution as a one packaged deal.

41. Space management

Managing parking spaces effectively and efficiently by, for example, monitoring the real-time occupancy, visualizing actionable trends based on historic data or detecting floating spaces. Data is generated to make parking operations more efficient and increases ROI of the parking asset.

42. Transportation master plan

Transportation master plans are formulated by city governments and serve as a roadmap for investments in long-range transportation infrastructure.

43. Turn-by-turn guidance

Turn-by-turn-guidance shows the driver—in real-time and on every corner—where there are parking spots available and therefore guides them turn-by-turn to the nearest available spot.

44. Urban traffic

Urban traffic is a specific term for any type of movement of people and vehicles in a city. Urban areas worldwide seek innovative solutions to reduce urban traffic.

An overview recently presented by leading institutions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) of all relevant tech start-ups whose solutions use artificial intelligence (AI) includes numerous pioneers in the field as well as the German leading smart parking startup Cleverciti.

Earlier this year, appliedAI (Germany), Ignite Sweden, AI Sweden and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden decided to come together to initiate a mapping of the current AI startup ecosystem in Europe. On November 17, 2020, during the virtual Sweden Innovation Days event the first version of the landscape was presented which includes over 500 deep tech startups from France, Germany, and Sweden, among which Cleverciti, as part of the subcategory of “Transport & Mobility”. Cleverciti applies AI extensively in its smart parking and smart mobility solutions.

The aim of the mapping is to shine a light on the top AI startups in Europe in order to drive AI adoption and create more partnership opportunities between startups and corporations. It was felt that once a centralized database of quality AI startups existed, corporations and SMEs would have easier access to AI partners they can trust.

The initiators of the mapping see great value in collaborations with AI startups in particular, simply because, while almost all companies require a broad selection of AI solutions, startups tend to focus on one specific niche, which can be the exact niche that the corporations are looking for. Secondly, AI systems increase in performance with more data and applications. Therefore, in non-competitive use cases, a technology from a startup that supplies many companies tends to perform better than a stand-alone solution for one specific application in one company. With AI being one of the most rapidly changing development fields, partnering up with startups allows companies to focus on value creation.

The first version of the European AI Startups landscape is subdivided into the following subcategories:

• Cross-industry startups

• Information technology & services

• Health and pharma

• Retail & commerce

• Enterprise software

• Transport & mobility

• Manufacturing

• Consulting

• Finance & insurance

• Agriculture, forestry & fishing

• Administrative & support services

• Energy

• Autonomous systems

• Language & communication

• Media & publishing

• Arts, entertainment & recreation

• Logistics

• Legal

• Public administration, defense, aerospace & social security

• Fashion

• Water, waste & environment

• Construction

• Education

• Real estate activities

• Mining & quarrying

Other German deep tech startups that are included in the “Transport & Mobility” subcategory are:

• Konux, the leading German AI/IoT startup providing smart sensor systems and AI-based analytics to deliver actionable insights and enable predictive maintenance,

• Lilium, a Munich-based startup working towards developing an all-electric jet with VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) capabilities,

• German Autolabs, a pioneer in automotive voice AI. 

Click below to see the full landscape. 

In smart cities, the use of technology, information, and data is promoted to enhance and improve the overall infrastructure, quality of life, and publicly accessible services. Negative side effects of living in densely populated urban areas (e.g. environmental pollution and stress-related illnesses) are to be minimized. Typical features of smart cities include 4 main points:

Smart administration and society

Government services in smart cities are made more accessible to people by making them available online. Processes such as registering a business or filing a complaint are simplified by digital offerings while also adhering to data security and protection regulations.

Online service can help improve accountability and transparency while also allowing citizens to take an active part in local governing processes.

Smart housing

Housing in smart cities should be affordable while also ensuring safety and security for its residents. Open and green spaces, public services, community areas, jobs as well as social facilities raise the housing standard in a smart city and enhance the quality of life in any given neighborhood. Poorly planned areas are redeveloped to improve the housing situation there.

Smart mobility

A central aspect of a smart city is its public transit network. Access to public transportation has increased in tomorrow’s cities. To further reduce emissions, smart cities are aimed towards being more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.

Creative solutions such as smart parking can further help to reduce emissions and environmental pollution, while also decreasing complexity for drivers in a complicated urban environment. Smart parking data reduces traffic hazards and accidents as drivers are not distracted while desperately looking for a parking space.

It also enables drivers to choose the best options to arrive at their desired destination quickly and efficiently.

Smart parking solutions can thus decrease parking search traffic, as drivers know which streets are fully occupied, and they can avoid circling around. In addition, drivers can make intelligent decisions based on precise parking data and choose to park in the nearest garage for example, or take a scooter if on-street parking in the inner city is not available.

Furthermore, smart cities aim to create walkable neighborhoods, where congestion, air pollution, and resource depletion are reduced to promote interactions and boost the local economy. Road networks are improved to not only provide space for vehicles and public transport but also to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.

Modern surface parking hubs slightly outside the inner city ring should also provide real-time occupancy data for parking, making it appealing for drivers to park their vehicles there and take alternative means of transport – such as e-vehicles or a bus – for the last miles to reduce emissions in the city center.

Smart infrastructure

The infrastructure in smart cities should be geared towards being sustainable and eco-friendly. In addition, many smart cities aim for climate neutrality. Structures for supplying electricity, gas, and hot water, as well as those for the disposal of refuse, need to be transformed to move towards more sustainable infrastructure.

This can be done by reducing the amount of waste generated and more effective recycling of refuse among other things. In addition, the use of natural resources can be reduced by establishing renewable energies.

Interested in learning more about smart city parking solutions? Click the button below to schedule a demo with a smart parking expert now.

At Cleverciti, we see a bright future. That outlook is directly in line with the impact we realize through reducing the search for parking, urban traffic and congestion to help eliminate the effects of climate change. As a company, we are always looking to the future to envision how we can create a positive change. We predict some smart trends for our environment, cities and the smart parking market in the next 12 months but we are excited to be part of a collaborative effort to address them.

Smart cities will rise

In 2019, there was a lot of buzz around the concept of “smart” or connected cities. And it wasn’t all talk. When we attended the Smart City Expo World Congress in November, we saw that there was an incredible amount of activity and interest from cities that want to incorporate intelligent technologies to build smarter environments. But there is a digital transformation that has to happen first. Smart city project ideas are broad, budgeting is complex, and sales cycles are long, but we predict that 2020 will be the year that more smart city projects will be deployed across the globe.

When a city aims to adopt smart trends, it’s often to improve the overall experience for visitors, residents and businesses alike. That’s precisely where smart parking fits in. Drivers that have a great experience finding parking are more likely to travel into the city or different neighborhoods to explore stores or restaurants. The residents that are walking the street can also breathe easier when cars aren’t circling the block looking for an open spot, producing needless emissions.

Parking will continue to be an uphill battle

We expect parking issues will get worse before smart parking trends get better. Although some areas are already implementing smart parking measures, most cities are experiencing significant population growth, which affects traffic, parking and air quality. Smart parking solutions help to alleviate these problems, but still won’t be deployed to the scale they should in 2020. As populations increase, causing more congestion and fewer available spots on average, the need for smart parking will become more apparent and residents will demand them — but it will take a few years for this convenience to catch on.

The difficulties associated with parking and urban congestion from increasing populations will get better in the future as more areas implement intelligent technology solutions. Additionally, these technologies can easily scale from that point on to further grow and change to fit the expanding needs of a business, city or other parking administration. While it may not be an immediate change, we are convinced there will be a very real, positive impact from smart parking at massive scale in nearly every city in the future.

The opportunity of ride-hailing services

The complexity of parking has propelled the popularity of ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft. The use of these services is growing — a trend that will likely continue into 2020. However, while ride-hailing seems convenient for the user, it does not help the broader issues of traffic and urban congestion, excess emissions or parking availability. A driver still has to drive from their location to pick up the rider then take them to their destination — on average about 40% more distance driven. However, this transition to more ride-hailing presents opportunities for cities to repurpose existing parking assets to create mobility hubs and queuing areas. If ride-hailing services have real-time availability data of a nearby queuing area, they can improve their efficiency and reduce congestion and emissions.

Rich parking information also facilitates the use of public transportation. When smart parking is implemented at train stops, bus stations or parks and rides, users can know ahead of time which lots have space and which modes of transportation they can use. We have seen that when a driver knows in advance that they will be able to park at a station to use the train or bus, they are more likely to do so, consolidating the number of vehicles that traverse city streets.

Entering mainstream conversations

While consumers innately understand the parking challenges they face every day, awareness of smart parking solutions has been low in the general population. However, as consumers start to experience these smart trends firsthand in 2020, we expect consumers to start demanding them from their cities, shopping malls, office campuses, and other places they go each day.

No matter how these individual trends will shape next year and the years to come, Cleverciti is proud to be leading the way in helping cities to become smart by addressing parking issues, reducing vehicle congestion and cutting down on unnecessary emissions. We certainly see a bright future ahead.

Smart parking and IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) has begun to permeate nearly every aspect of our daily lives; from entertainment to security to self-driving cars, it’s hard to find one industry that hasn’t taken advantage of the IoT’s ability to seamlessly connect smart devices and facilitate communication.

The IoT provides a host of benefits to a number of markets, with urban areas at the top of the list of those seeing a significant impact. The Smart City is empowered by the IoT, relying on connected devices to improve infrastructure and quality of life. In fact, according to recent research from IoT Analytics on 1,600 real IoT use cases, the largest amount of projects were part of Smart City initiatives.

Of the many fashions in which municipalities can benefit from the IoT, its role in traffic management is one of the most valuable. Cities frequently face a variety of challenges when it comes to traffic and parking, such as exceeded emissions limits, long search times for a parking space, valuable parking space not being monetized and more.

Solutions that utilize the IoT can effectively mitigate these issues. Real-time detection of available on-street parking spaces decreases traffic and pollution and reduces the required time and distance to park, improving mobility. Additionally, these solutions incentivize drivers to pay for parking, allowing cities to capture revenue from one of their most important assets and make the most out of their parking spaces.

The IoT also enables cities to automate processes that may be time consuming or costly. These solutions can continuously monitor traffic patterns or parking restrictions, such as delivery zones or handicap spaces, and implement the proper control, such as verification or a violation.

The overall enhanced traffic management achieved through IoT devices contributes to a comprehensive Smart City initiative that can vastly augment decision-making and operations. And the IoT’s effect doesn’t stop there: cities are seeing improvements to healthcare, commerce, government services and more. Smart grids can more efficiently transmit electricity, while wireless irrigation networks can promote water conservation.

The opportunities the IoT provides to cities are truly revolutionary and stand to revamp and boost an endless number of systems. And the examples above are just the beginning; as more data is collected and further use cases are identified, the possibilities will only expand.