????當人們苦苦尋找街邊車位時，受影響的可不只是沮喪的司機們。

????在人口密集的地區，司機們尋找車位時要平均耗時20分鐘，這也影響了城市的機動性。交通堵塞，公共運輸速度緩慢，即便是行人也會因汽車和大巴擋住人行橫道通行受阻。Frost & Sullivan的一項分析顯示，美國司機每年在尋找停車位方面平均要耗費55小時，給消費者和地方經濟帶來的時間和燃料損耗折合近6億美元。

????上周，交通數據公司Inrix攜手寶馬在底特律車聯網展會上發布了停車預報功能，它能幫助司機尋找寶貴的街頭停車位。

????本次大會上展示的是安裝在一輛寶馬i3上的研究原型，它能通過從一些可監測來源（如移動支付公司、實時停車信息和車聯網分享服務）抓取數據，來預測哪里可以停車。實際上，Inrix為了進行準確的預報，要綜合更多的數據來源。

????Inrix解釋說，某些汽車可能會有免費停車證，還有一些司機可能停完車不交費。而且在很多城市，只有特定時段的停車需要付費。Inrix也在挖掘來自與其合作的導航和交通應用提供商的實時數據，這是一個由2.5億輛車和設備組成的龐大網絡。

????在寶馬車型中，這項停車預報功能名為iPark，相關信息可在控制面板中顯示。與谷歌地圖中的交通應用相似，彩色橫條標志著街頭停車成功幾率，按停車位充足情況從綠到紅顯示。面板中顯示的信息還包括收費價格、停車和許可限制以及政策規定。如果路內車位沒有了，司機將被引導至路外停車場。

????The search for those coveted open on-street parking spots affects more than the frustrated person behind the wheel.

????In densely populated areas, the hundreds of drivers who spend an average of 20 minutes looking for an open parking space also impact urban mobility. Traffic backs up, public transportation slows—even pedestrians are impeded by cars and buses blocking crosswalks. One analysis by Frost & Sullivan found drivers waste an average of 55 hours a year looking for parking, costing consumers and local economies nearly $600 million in wasted time and fuel.

????Traffic data company Inrix and BMW unveiled a predictive parking feature at a connected car show in Detroit this week that can help drivers find those elusive on-street parking spots.

????The research prototype, which was on display in a BMW i3 at the TU-Automotive Detroit conference, is able to predict parking availability by capturing data from some predictable sources— mobile payment companies, real-time parking information, and connected car-sharing services. Inrix went a step further, however, for an accurate prediction, looking to even more data sources.

????As the company explains, vehicles might have passes that permit free parking or some drivers might park without paying. And in many cities, payment is only required during certain hours. The company also taps into the real-time data supplied by its massive network of 250 million vehicles and devices—information it has access to from navigation and traffic application providers who partner with Inrix.

????The predictive parking feature, which will be branded as iPark in BMW cars, displays the information on the car’s dashboard. Just like the traffic feature in Google Maps, color-coded bars indicate the probability of open street parking, ranging from green (meaning lots of spaces) to red. Pricing, parking and permit restrictions, and policy rules will also be displayed. If on-street parking in unavailable, drivers will be directed to off-street parking locations.

????Inrix和寶馬表示，將進一步改進供量產車型使用的研究原型。首批啟用服務的包括歐洲阿姆斯特丹、科隆和哥本哈根城區，以及美國舊金山、西雅圖和加拿大溫哥華。Inrix表示，該服務將于年底拓展至23個城市。

????目前，寶馬等主要汽車生產商正在移動性項目上投入更多時間和資金，停車預報功能只是案例之一。各項新功能令駕駛和停車變得有趣，也讓傳統意義上擁有汽車的概念發生了一些改變。例如，自2011年以來，寶馬集團就一直在研究如何減少人們尋找空閑車位的時間。第一批解決方案已于2012年投入使用，其中包括高級停車服務，即司機可以預約城市中的停車位。

????2013年，德國汽車公司戴姆勒（梅賽德斯-奔馳生產商）成立了移動服務子公司，目前涵蓋交通工具搜索應用moovel以及分享租賃品牌“即行”（car2go）。公司年報顯示，截至2014年底，moovel子公司擁有100多萬名客戶。戴姆勒稱，“即行”提供Smart車型的租賃服務，目前在全球29個城市中擁有100多萬名注冊會員。在過去一年中，戴姆勒還收購了創業公司RideScout，以及mytaxi叫車應用的開發商Intelligent Apps。

????得益于戴姆勒旗下創新應用和谷歌地圖的發展，出行時需要問路和轉乘應用的消費者比以往有了更多選擇。寶馬與Inrix的合作解決了城市交通中一大難題，即抵達目的地后在哪停車，而不用在街區徒勞兜圈。（財富中文網）

????翻譯：Charlie

????審校：夏林

????Inrix and BMW say they will further refine the research prototype for use in production vehicles. The service will initially be available in European metro areas Amsterdam, Cologne and Copenhagen as well as U.S. cities San Francisco and Seattle, as well as in Vancouver, Canada. It will expand to 23 cities by the end of the year, Inrix says.

????The predictive parking feature is just one example of how major automakers, BMW included, are investing more time and money into mobility projects— features that make driving and parking more enjoyable and tap into a shift away from traditional car ownership. For example, BMW Group has been researching how to reduce the time spent looking for a vacant space since 2011. One of its first solutions, a premium parking service that allows drivers to reserve city parking spaces, has been available since 2012.

????In 2013, the German car company Daimler , which makes Mercedes-Benz, launched a mobility services subsidiary, where it now houses its transit-finding unit moovel and car-sharing car2go brand. The moovel subsidiary had more than one million customers by the end of 2014, according to its annual report. Car2Go, which connects members with Smart cars, has more than 1 million registered members in 29 cities around the world, according to the company. In the past year, it has also purchased startups RideScout and the mytaxi cab-booking app Intelligent Apps.

????Thanks to developments like Daimler’s and Google Maps, there are more possibilities than ever for consumers who need way-finding and transit apps on the go. BMW’s collaboration with Inrix fills in yet another piece of the urban transit puzzle—where to stash your vehicle when you’ve arrived at your destination, without another lap around the block.