Skoda introduces electric SUV that learns to park itself
Drivers of the Škoda Enyaq will have one less thing to think about when they arrive home thanks to the fully electric SUV being able to ‘train’ itself to park completely autonomously.
Trained Parking is one of many parking features to appear on a Škoda for the first time, as Škoda research reveals 73% of UK motorists have given up parking in a space because they found it too difficult.
Its introduction on Enyaq, alongside Intelligent Park Assist, as part of the optional Maxx Package, will, it claims, be perfect for the millions of Brits who have suffered a parking prang in the past, as almost a quarter (23%) of drivers in the UK say they have bumped into another vehicle when parking, while 33% have damaged a wheel or tyre while parking.
How Trained Parking works
Trained Parking enables drivers to autonomously park perfectly in any location familiar to the vehicle, whether on the driveway, in a garage, nearby street parking or a location that the driver regularly uses.
The Enyaq is a quick learner, too, as drivers will only need to perform the parking manoeuvre manually once as the car will store the entire route, surroundings and parking position in its memory. From then, every time the driver arrives home, or another familiar point recognised by the car, it can park automatically with pin-point levels of accuracy.
When initiated, Trained Parking is completely autonomous with the car controlling the steering, braking and direction of travel (forwards or backwards). The Enyaq’s sensors will also continuously monitor its surroundings, detecting any objects or pedestrians and helping to avoid collisions with them.
In addition to Trained Parking, Enyaq drivers also benefit from Intelligent Park Assist.
How Intelligent Park Assist works
Intelligent Park Assist aids the driver when parking in both parallel and perpendicular parking spaces, the former the nation’s least favourite parking manoeuvre according to Škoda UK data (receiving a thumbs down from 43% of respondents).
After finding an appropriate parking spot, the driver can activate the feature at the touch of a button, choosing whether to move forwards or backwards into a regular bay parking spot or just backwards for parallel parking.
All the driver needs to do is activate the indicator and manage the accelerator, while Intelligent Park Assist does the rest, controlling the steering, braking and direction of travel.
All of these features are available as part of the Maxx Package on SportLine Plus and vRS models.
