In a groundbreaking demonstration at the CES show in Las Vegas, Bosch and Volkswagen subsidiary Cariad unveiled an innovative automated electric vehicle (EV) charging technology. The system guides electric vehicles autonomously to designated parking spaces equipped with charging spots. A charging robot seamlessly handles the entire charging process, from opening the flap to inserting and removing the charging cable.
Once the vehicle’s battery is fully charged, the EV autonomously moves to another parking space, freeing up the charge spot for the next EV with a low battery. This automated process, showcased at CES, eliminates the need for human interaction, allowing multiple vehicles to be recharged and parked efficiently.
Bosch, a global engineering and technology company, and Cariad, an automotive specialist owned by Volkswagen, are currently testing this innovative technology in two in-house parking garages in Germany: Cariad’s staff parking garage in Ingolstadt and Bosch’s development parking garage in Ludwigsburg.
According to Bosch, this automated charging technology addresses consumer concerns about EV charging by making the process more convenient and efficient. “Making it straightforward to recharge electric vehicles allays people’s misgivings about range, and is essential if electromobility is to find widespread acceptance,” commented Manuel Maier, Vice President of the cross-domain Level 4 parking product area at Bosch.
Rolf Dubitzky, Head of Parking at Cariad, emphasized the collaborative testing approach, stating, “Our collaboration allows us to test the technologies at an early stage of vehicle development so that the end product is reliable and offers customers the best possible user experience.”
Notably, Bosch and Cariad have already introduced automated valet parking, the world’s first driverless SAE Level 4 parking service, which has been operational at Stuttgart airport since 2022. The success of this initial venture has prompted Bosch to equip other parking garages across Germany with the necessary infrastructure technology.
As the automotive industry continues to innovate, the automated EV charging technology presented by Bosch and Cariad at CES marks a significant step toward revolutionizing the efficiency and convenience of electric vehicle charging.
 charging technology. The system guides electric vehicles autonomously to designated parking spaces equipped with charging spots. A charging robot seamlessly handles the entire charging process, from opening the flap to inserting and removing the charging cable.){kind=link}