Information On Automated Parking Systems

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1 Information On Automated Parking Systems Boomerang Automated Parking Systems Benefits of Automated Parking Automated Parking Saves Space Automated Parking systems allow vehicles to be stored without human intervention and allow for much greater vehicle density within a parking facility. By consuming roughly half the space of a conventional parking garage, automated parking brings value to real estate development projects in any of the following four ways: Saves Valuable Air Rights Reduces Expensive Excavation Fits More Cars Conserves Open Space In urban infill situations with small or irregular footprints that are not conducive to the construction of a ramp garage structure, automation may be the only way to satisfy the need for parking. Additional Economic Benefits to Developer Enjoy tax benefits from equipment s Accelerated Depreciation. Reduce Up Front Capital by phasing equipment as project leases up. Smaller structure results in Less Construction Time. Green aspects help qualify for LEED Certification. Improved user experience = Faster Lease Up. Reduced lighting, ventilation and labor = lower operating costs. Total accountability and control eliminates shrinkage (employee or operator skimming) In addition to the economic benefits to the developer, consider the numerous benefits of automated parking to the consumer and the community in general. Automated Parking is Greener Elimination of Carbon Emissions since cars are turned off once in the garage. Half the materials are used in the construction of the garage. Less electricity required due to reduced lighting and ventilation requirements. Preferential parking automatically granted to electric and hybrid vehicles. Automated Parking is Safer

2 Consider that parking lots are the number one place where sexual assaults by strangers occur. Unfortunately self park garages are difficult to monitor and secure and therefore present an opportunity to would be robbers and assailants. Even if no one is lurking in the garage, it can be an unpleasant experience to walk alone at night to one s car in a large ramp garage. By contrast consumers do not enter automated parking garages and occupied space is limited to a small central common area which is easy to monitor and secure Automated Parking is More Secure In an automated parking garage, you can park your car with the piece of mind that no one has access to it. Because automated parking garages are unoccupied, many of the problems that plague conventional self park garages are eliminated: Fender Benders Door Dings Vandalism Theft of Vehicle Theft of Vehicle Contents Automated Parking is More Convenient In an automated garage, even if there is only one space available, just drive into the central loading area and park. There is no need to drive up and down ramps searching for a space, nor do you have to remember where you parked your car. Everyone gets the chairman s spot! Upon returning, just enter your code and have your car delivered and ready to drive away in less time than if you walked to your car and navigated back down the ramps of the garage. It s like valet service but without the worries of someone else driving your car. Optional services include electric vehicle charge stations and an automatic car wash. Automated Parking Improves the Cityscape Because they are about twice as efficient as a typical self park ramp garage, automated parking facilities consume substantially less space, preserving more room for street level retail or open space to make for a more attractive development. Since they are typically enclosed, any variety of facades can be used to make the facility blend in with the surrounding neighborhood. In addition to having a more attractive facade, enclosed automated garages substantially reduce noise and light pollution commonly associated with conventional open air garages. Video on Automated Parking Systems:

3 WPS Parking Systems AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRM WPS Parking Systems, in conjunction with our European partner, Wöhr Parking Systems, provides customers with the world s most innovative automated parking technology. An automated parking system can increase parking capacity by up to 50%, compared to a conventional ramp parking garage. Wöhr has been one of the world s foremost manufacturers of parking technology for more than 40 years. In 1991 the company produced its first automated parking facility and never looked back. They currently have over one hundred (100) projects completed. WPS parking systems is the exclusive partner of Wöhr Parking Systems in the New York metro area. Many urban areas have experienced rapid growth in recent years, and more people means more cars. As a result, many areas are faced with the challenge of balancing the desire to maintain open space with the need to provide a parking facility that can accommodate the urban growth. An automated parking facility provides an environmentally friendly solution to this issue. Listed below are several benefits to an automated parking facility. BENEFITS & HIGHLIGHTS: Capacity -Parks up to 50% more spaces in same square footage. Environment - Green & LEEDS certification Weight - Light-weight steel frame vs. heavy concrete decks. Design Friendly - Flexible layout options. Car Security - No entry to locked vehicle, no dings or damage. Operating Costs - Less personnel, lower insurance, lower facility maintenance costs; especially when compared to valet operations. Car Safety - Car is locked and then stored automatically in a secure area until retrieved by owner. Space Saving - Maximum utilization of space, no ramps or drive aisles Cost Saving - Expense reductions for ventilation, lighting and insurance. User Friendly - No parking attendants User Safety - No one drives within the facility - Drivers don t have to access parking area

4 - No risk of damage, theft or vandalism. Time Saving - Fast access & retrieval times. Ease of Use - Parking Ambassador available at all times. THE PARKING PROCESS The driver enters a secure, well lighted entry area and parks the automobile on a storage pallet. Before an automobile is placed in storage, it is scanned for any foreign objects (i.e. Movement in the vehicle, electronic devices, etc.) An Automated Parking System is userfriendly and allows the driver to store his or her automobile in a secure space until it is ready for retrieval. There is no risk of damage, theft or vandalism, since the driver does not enter the parking area. At the time of exit the driver uses a personal access card that starts the retrieval process. During storage in the automated facility the automobile engine is turned off. This allows the facility to be designed with no mechanical ventilation. This provides an environmental benefit as well as a better utilization of space. An Automated Parking System requires no ramps or drive aisles. In both the public and private sector the issue of security has come to the forefront of everyday life. How to provide a safe and secure facility for automobiles is becoming an issue for all building owners. An automated parking facility can provide a transfer area from the street to the automated parking facility that can be equipped with the latest technology to scan an automobile for the highest level of security. This is an advantage for both existing government facilities as well as new buildings. Elected officials, real estate developers and decision makers at the highest level of the public and private sector all realize they must adapt to an ever changing work environment. Parking is only one of the many issues that will be faced in the process. WPS Parking Systems can help in providing a secure, environmentally friendly automated parking facility. Press Article Press For the last year and a half or so, we bombarded you with news about how many vehicles any given manufacturer sells each month. We witnessed together how millions after

5 millions after millions of vehicles find new owners each year worldwide. Toyota alone, to give you an example, sells around 8 and a half million vehicles each year. Naturally, the question arises: where will we park them all? We mean, the streets aren't getting bigger, cities grow much slower in size than the sales rate of new vehicles and yet, more and more cars keep poring onto the roads. Many cities already battle congestion on a daily basis. Taking a one or two hours margin when leaving for work has become part of hour daily routine. Similarly, when returning home, minutes are lost in search of a parking space. We're overrun with cars... The solution to all the parking problems isn't at all different than the one envisioned by architects for accommodating the growing population: since we can't go sideways, we'll go up (or down). Enter the automated parking systems. Also known as automated parking garages, multitiered car parking systems, robotic parking or simply buildings for cars, the solution is as simple as it is effective: cars are stacked one on top of each other, on several levels. This solution allows, for instance, for 20 cars to occupy the same footprint as four would have done in normal parking conditions. An automated parking garage can be erected on any empty lot, even in between buildings. They come in several sizes, so a city can choose which type of garage fits its needs best. The building itself is made of a metal skeleton which can be covered on the outside with pretty much what ever is needed for it to fit in the city landscape. HOW IT WORKS Automated parking systems make use of computers, sensors, cameras and mechanical components to take the car, move it throughout the garage and park it in an empty slot. The process is very simple and it requires little effort from the driver. There are two types of automated parking systems, depending on the manner in which they transport the car from entry to the parking spot: horizontal platforms or vertical lifts. In both cases, the process is very similar, with the only thing that differs being the movement of the car until it reaches the desired space (lateral or vertical). In both types of systems, the car is driven into the multi-storied garage as usual. Once positioned on the ramp, the driver shuts down the engine, secures the parking brake and steps out of the car. While the driver does all this, sensors analyze the vehicle to determine it's size and overall shape. (Below is a "how it works" video of such a system)

6 Once the driver has exited the building, the mechanical arms of the living building are set in motion. Depending on the available empty spots in the garage, the system determines where to take the car. Using various electro-mechanical components, the car is moved into the respective spot, either vertically or horizontally. For the fastest such systems, the whole process can take as little as two and a half minutes from entry to parking the car in its spot. Most such systems are fitted with turntables, which means that when leaving, there is no need for the driver to drive in reverse. Now, if you are wondering how the system recognizes which car is yours, you should know it does no guess work. Automated parking systems give you a card or key containing a code which identifies the position of the vehicle. Once you scan your card or key, the system finds the car and sets in motion it's mechanical arms to bring the car back to you. ADVANTAGES We doubt there's any real need for us to point out the advantages of such parking systems over existing parking lots and even over multi-storied car parks. Automated parking systems are, if you like, the next generation multi-storied car parks. Having no access ramps, automated parking occupies less space on the ground. Space is also gained from the fact that the cars are staked together much closer compared to usual parking lots, because they don't require clearance for the doors to open. Automated parking systems can help cut CO2 emissions and fuel consumption levels because they don't require the engine to be running while the car is moved about through the building. Automated parking systems can be built both above or under ground, depending on the available space in a given city. Automated Parking Benefits From Manufacturer Automated parking systems may accommodate dozens of car locations, up to 1000 locations or more. Particular advantage is gained when a typical ramp-access garage will not provide adequate parking capacity due to limited space, height or depth limitations, as well as in expensive and dense urban areas. The total required volume (footprint and height or depth) of an automated parking system is about 30% to 50% of a conventional self-park garage with the same capacity - that means 2 to 3 times more parking locations in the same volume! Among the main benefits: Increased Capacity: an automated parking system can accommodate two to three times the amount of parking spaces within the same volume as a conventional self-park, ramp access garage. This results mainly from:

7 Reduced Space Width automated systems utilizes narrower space than selfpark facilities, due to the precision of the computer-controlled automated vehicle conveyor Lower Ceiling Height ceiling height does not have to take pedestrians into consideration, saving 30-50% in height requirements Dense Parking density can be increased by automatically storing the cars doorto-door and bumper-to-bumper No HVAC Since the storage area is not accessed by the public and cars are stored with their engines stopped, there is no need for heat or air-conditioning, saving utility costs. No Public Stairs or Elevators - Since the storage area is not accessed by the public, no stairs or elevators are required, and only emergency and maintenance access is provided for authorized personnel Reduced Lighting - Since the storage area is not accessed by the public, lighting is required only for emergency or maintenance purposes, thus saving utility costs Enhanced User Experience Comparable to a high quality valet parking operation, replacing valet runners with efficient automated machinery Enhanced Safety and Security Drivers are not required to park, reducing collision or damage risks. The storage area is not accessed by the public and therefore it is much more secured