Parallel parking. Are you one of those drivers who absolutely hate parallel parking, taking a few extra maneuvers to the left and right, forward and backward before finally sliding into your parking spot? Or do you belong to another group who fear the maneuver altogether? I must admit it took me quite a while before learning the techniques of parallel parking when I was just starting out, with a few dents and scratches that cost me quite a sum. But now, the fear of parallel parking may be a thing of the past as Ford has just announced that they have perfected the technology of self-parking cars! That's right, cars of the near future will automatically park themselves with a touch of a button, saving drivers a lot of time, money andperspiration. You'll just sit back, relax and let your car parallel park itself - without a single scratch or ding to your bumper.
Ford president, Mark Fields, recently made the announcement that must have triggered millions of sighs of relief all over the world. The technology, he said, will debut as an option on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and the new seven-passenger Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle. The technology uses ultrasonic sensors on the front and back of the vehicle, combined with electric power steering to angle and guide the car into a parking space, all with the push of a button. Though Ford isn't the first car manufacturer to come up with such an invention (Toyota's Lexus uses a video camera-based parking system that calculates whether the vehicle has enough clearance for a particular spot, see below), Ford's technology is much easier to use and even works in downhill parking situations. Pretty good, huh?
But if you think the technology is fully automatic, with images of James Bond and his 'intelligent car' running through your head, think again. This is just a parking assistance technology. It still needs human intervention as the driver will still need to shift the transmission and operate the gas and brake pedals, while a visual or audible driver interface advises about the clearance from other cars, objects and people. Still, the driver will not touch the steering wheel throughout the whole process as the computer will do all the steering during the parking. The sensor system also monitors blind spots, and can notify the driver with a warning light in the side mirror if something is detected or if traffic is approaching.
And how much will this technology cost? Definitely not cheap, as the Ford president declined to commit to a price when asked about it. After all, it will save the driver a lot of money in the long run, won't it?
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