SAP CREATES “THE UBER OF PARKING AND REFUELLING”

Connected-Car Technologies Could Take the Hassle Out of Parking and Fueling Up

German tech firm SAP has claimed that it has created ‘the Uber of parking’ and ‘the Uber of refuelling,’ that would allow users to access services in a hassle free way, while also providing car-parking firms and fuel stations with a personalized way to show ads to their customers. Conceived in Palo Alto by the firm’s California labs, the two technologies use SAP’s Hana cloud platform to make the most boring parts about driving, easy. The technology was demonstrated using a Ford Mustang, but the German firm has yet to sign up any prospective customers to partner with.

When a car equipped with the system approaches a car park barrier, the hourly parking rate is displayed on the car’s computer screen together with a button, tap this button and the car can drive through and park if there is a space available. If there is no space available, the car’s satellite navigation system directs the driver to the nearest available space. Just like with Uber your pre-registered credit card is charged on leaving the car park.

SAP’s ‘Uber of refuelling’ system works in a similar fashion. As the car is already preloaded with basic information on the driver, the screen at the fuel pump can be used to broadcast adverts that are relevant to you. The same information makes it very easy for you to refuel and the money is deducted from your card as you drive away from the fuel station. These connected car technologies are still only prototypes, but their potential is clear to see and it wouldn’t take much for SAP to join forces with industry partners to make this a reality.