Estonian start-up company Autlo has developed a device that teaches cars to pay for parking.
The device is the first of its kind in the world. An in-built GPS system determines the car’s location and starts charging for parking once the ignition is turned off. It stops once the vehicle is moving again. A mobile Autlo app allows users to keep track of all their parking and override decisions if necessary.
Developed together with Estonian mobile phone operator EMT, the parking charge will be added to users’ monthly phone bill. Therefore, an EMT SIM-card is required for the device, which is inserted into the car’s OBD2 port.
“Mobile parking has hitherto been the most comfortable way of parking and the fully automatic new generation solution makes it even more so,” Autlo’s CEO Kristjan Konks said, according to ERR News.
Holger Haljand of EMT said their aim is to develop services which would completely remove the need to worry about parking – including determining the parking zone, whether and how much it costs, and how to pay – and make cars pay for parking automatically.
