Cleverciti Deploys World’s Most Comprehensive On-Street Parking Guidance System in the City of Cologne

Cleverciti Systems, the leader in smart parking guidance and management solutions, today announced that it has been selected to enable RheinEnergie’s smart parking ambitions. The initiative, managed by energy provider RheinEnergie AG for the fourth largest city in Germany, is part of the SmartCity Cologne initiative that is designed to reduce emissions and increase innovation, digitalization, and mobility.

Cleverciti’s solution will provide turn-by-turn guidance to enable drivers to make intelligent decisions based on reliable live data indicating fully occupied on-street parking spaces in the inner city, as well as remaining available spaces. Cologne Nippes, one of the busiest and most densely populated urban districts of Cologne, has been selected for the installation of ClevercitiSensors and ClevercitiCirc360 guidance systems on Rheinenergie’s lampposts, covering 770 popular on-street parking spaces.

The free or occupied status of every on-street parking space is monitored in real-time. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered ClevercitiSensors provide precise parking availability data, which is displayed locally on ClevercitiCirc360 LED displays delivering live guidance to drivers. This guidance system eliminates unnecessary circling in search of a space and the associated wasted time and emissions. The ClevercitiCockpit enables leaders to manage their valuable parking assets based on precise supply and demand data.

“This sophisticated smart parking deployment is part of an effort to increase sustainable development to achieve greener environments in our smart city,” said Dr. Andreas Cerbe, RheinEnergie AG. “As an organization focused on minimizing environmental impact, we are committed to achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating needless traffic, and increasing energy efficiency. To achieve these goals, we have worked closely with Cleverciti to design a smart parking solution that is proven to reduce emissions and ease traffic throughout the area. As a utility that owns and operates thousands of lampposts, we are ideally positioned to deploy additional services to benefit city residents through our existing infrastructure – transforming our lampposts into the smart city hubs of the future.”

The search for parking is a major problem for the environment, as well as a significant source of driver frustration and traffic congestion. According to Boston Consulting Group, 8 percent of Europe’s CO2 emissions come from urban traffic. Approximately 30 percent of that traffic is the result of parking search, which can be greatly reduced through adoption of Cleverciti’s smart parking solution. In Germany alone, deployment of smart parking solutions could reduce CO2 emissions by 900,000 tons annually according to Germany’s National Platform for the Future of Mobility.

“As part of SmartCity Cologne, this installation represents the most comprehensive on-street parking guidance and management system in the world and we are proud to be selected as the smart parking infrastructure that powers more efficient parking in the area,” said Thomas Hohenacker, CEO, Cleverciti. “The Cleverciti solution will be used to reduce parking search, overall distance traveled, and emissions while increasing quality of life for area residents.”

“A key part of Cologne’s selection of Cleverciti was the patented ClevercitiCirc360 parking guidance technology, which guides drivers to the nearest parking spot at every critical decision point,” said Dr. Günther Picker, Cleverciti’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development. “Cleverciti offers the complete solution through its unique, AI-powered overhead parking sensors and dynamic guidance systems mounted on existing lampposts."

To support Cologne’s goals of reducing emissions from parking search traffic, the project has been funded in part by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure within the program of “Digitisation of municipal transport systems”.

About Cleverciti Systems 

Cleverciti Systems is the leader in comprehensive, high-tech solutions for outdoor and on-street parking detection, monitoring, and guidance. Cleverciti provides organizations with a robust and highly reliable solution that enhances convenience, builds loyalty and boosts engagement, allowing our customers to maximize ROI, and streamline the parking experience. Its end-to-end solutions are designed to strengthen parking detection, improve guidance, and enhance communication. With more than 54 installations in 18 countries across the world, Cleverciti seeks to help organizations reduce traffic and emissions, and increase revenue while allowing drivers to enjoy a smooth, stress-free parking experience. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, with offices in Chicago.