#
 

Industry News

October, 2020

Propark Mobility announced that the company has raised nearly $1,000 for Foodshare, Greater Hartford’s largest anti-hunger organization, at the recent Park & View Family Movie Night at Z Airport Parking in East Granby, Connecticut. “Through sponsorships and donations, we were able to take a fun night and turn it into something even more meaningful by giving back to our community,” explained John Schmid, Chief Executive Officer of Propark Mobility. 


ECO Parking Technologies President Jeff Pinyot announced three new hires: Andrew Clauson as Systems Engineer, where he will be the lead in Network Configuration and Trouble Shooting; Jeff Wittrock as Senior Firmware Developer, where he will enhance and add to the IoT code that resides in the Falcon Vision hardware; and Matt Jonker as Senior Software Developer, where he will enhance and add to the customer facing features of our cloud residing applications.


The makers of Spacer are excited to announce the stateside launch of their app, a key milestone in their expanding growth in the U.S. market. Spacer.com is a service that connects monthly parkers with spaces, seamlessly and on-demand. Spacer.com, currently the largest parking marketplace app in Australia, connects people who have a spare garage or car space with individuals looking for affordable and convenient monthly parking. 


Videalert has announced the appointment of David Walter as Hosted Systems Engineer. In this new role he will be responsible for providing technical support for the company’s hosted CCTV enforcement platform which is now used by more than fifty councils across the UK. David will be a key member of Videalert’s help desk team which supports clients and conducts pro-active system checks.


Complete Coach Works is at the midway point of a project with Long Beach Transit to perform a mid-life rehabilitation on (72) 2012, 2013, 2015 Gillig buses. The 40-foot-long buses are being repowered with the new Cummins L9N CNG “Near Zero” engines. The company is pleased to announce that its Regional Sales Manager, Jim Paul, has been appointed to the board of directors of The Oregon Transit Association. Following a unanimous vote by the OTA Board, Jim became a representative of private, for-profit members on behalf of Complete Coach Works. Complete Coach Works announced it has made the final delivery to Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Santa Cruz). The contract, which calls for the rehabilitation of four buses, was awarded late last year.


Conduent Transportation announced that the first phase of its next-generation fare collection system has been implemented and is now fully operational across the De Lijn public transportation network in the Flanders region of Belgium. Conduent Transportation also announced its selection by the City of Santa Monica, California, to continue providing intelligent parking and curbside management systems and services. The 5-year base contract, plus up to 4 years of options, will expand online and mobile self-help options for customers to manage their account.


“We don’t negotiate payment with patent trolls,” said Pierre Racz, President of Genetec Inc, as the company announced that a patent infringement lawsuit initiated by a non-practicing entity (NPE) was withdrawn by the NPE at an early stage of the proceedings. In a rare result, the NPE paid an undisclosed sum to Genetec. In patent litigation in the United States, it is highly unusual for a plaintiff to pay a defendant to resolve a case.


Worksport Ltd announced the global launch of its much anticipated TerraVis™ System, which is believed to be the world’s first automotive add-on solar accessory that will electrify conventional trucks and soon provide a meaningful charge for forthcoming electric pickups and other light trucks. The launch took place on Thursday, August 20.


Honk and ParkHub have announced a strategic partnership designed to create a safety-first solution for parking operators. The partnership offers a contactless, efficient parking experience for safety-conscious drivers coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The integrated solution is set to launch at the University of Arizona this season. Honk has also launched an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging initiative with the University of British Columbia (UBC), creating an easy and touch-free way for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to pay for EV charging on campus using their mobile device.


Software developer TEZ announced TEXT2PARK is now available in Mexico. Designed to effortlessly manage parking operations, operators get unprecedented control of their data. End users have a contactless experience: they text a code from the posted sign and pay online using their smartphones. Credit card information is tokenized, so parkers enter a card number only once the first time they park in any lot using TEXT2PARK. 


In the second quarter of 2020, 
American PERMALIGHT® expanded to a new, larger facility down the street from its previous location (all other contact information remains the same): American PERMALIGHT® Inc, 2570 W 237th St. Suite C, Torrance, CA 90505-5276. The recent move is part of the growth strategy that will allow them to better serve their customers. 


Westward Industries recently released its new MAX 3 electric vehicle. The three-wheel vehicle is the latest innovation in Westward’s series of MAX vehicles designed to serve parking departments and the needs of parking enforcement officers. Derived from Westward’s new four-wheel MAX-EV, the MAX 3 series is similar in design but overall, more tailored with parking enforcement in mind. 


 


Policia Municipal de Madrid has equipped 25 of their police patrol cars with mobile ANPR/ALPR cameras provided by Tattile. Each of the vehicles now carries a modern and equally simple architecture consisting of two ANPR cameras connected to a tablet computer. The information generated by the cameras focusses on photos taken from vehicles and herein the automatic number plate recognition. 


Industry veteran Mickey Asgar has recently joined DESIGNA as a Solution Architect.  Mickey brings 30+ years of experience in the parking industry in a career. “Mickey is known for building confidence and earning the respect of clients,” stated Steve Gorski, CEO of DESIGNA USA. 


Aeris has been named Mobility Services Provider of the Year by Informa Tech Automotive Group and has won the TU-Automotive Award for its continued success deploying the Aeris Mobility Suite (AMS). The MSP of the Year Award recognizes any MSP globally that has had a stellar year between January 1, 2019 and February 19, 2020, specifically relating to their development, deployment, integration or adoption of mobility products and/or services.


SP Plus Corporation announced the selection of ChargePoint as its preferred provider for expanding its electric vehicle (EV) charging program. SP+ selected ChargePoint to accelerate its plan to offer drivers the convenience of charging their vehicles while parking at an SP+ facility while they work, shop, play or stay home.


All Traffic Solutions launched the ATS Gives Back program to expand its support during COVID-19 to create safer communities. Smaller police departments that do not qualify for grant funding can apply to ATS for a chance to receive either a free radar or message sign. Two radar/message signs will be donated each month for the next 12 months to support the growing challenges facing local
police departments.


MAG USA is announcing a new Executive Committee and company structure that merges their existing team and their recently acquired team from airportparkingreservations.com (APR), parksleepfly.com (PSF)and shuttlefinder.com (SF). The merging of these teams brings together the talents of two market leading companies that have seen great advancements since their inception. They boast relationships with over 1,000 operator locations at over 100 airports in the US and Canada. 


Barron Lighting Group is thrilled to announce the newest lighting solution to our product family – the DesignLights Consortium® (DLC) PREMIUM Qualified WTA Series adjustable LED wallpack. “The housing can be adjusted in 10° increments from 0° to 90° for forward throw, ideal for illuminating retail entryways, schools, medical complexes, commercial buildings, and multi-family properties,” said Heather McCune, Vice President, Sales Operations of Barron Lighting Group.


McCain Inc. announced that they are adding a new member, Michael Driscoll, to head up the North American Parking Business Unit focusing on OPTIPARK® Parking Guidance and Wayfinding. As Manager of McCain’s Parking Business Unit, Driscoll will focus on continuing the rapid growth of this unit, with a special focus on product management, project supervision, and expanding the channel partner network across North America.


Envision Solar International, Inc. announced that it will maintain an inventory of EV ARC™, off grid, solar-powered EV charging infrastructure products for rapid sale and deployment to any customer effected by the planned Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) during California’s 2020 fire season. The company also announced that Baltimore Gas and Electric has ordered its EV ARC™ product to forward the utility’s innovation and environmental stewardship efforts and to promote off grid EV charging within its workplaces and corporate offices. In addition, Envision Solar International, Inc. reports that the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has ordered the EV ARC™ solar powered EV charging product to charge EVs, hybrids and GEMs (global electric motorcars) used in fleet operations.


ParkEngage recently introduced its new Inventory Management service designed to enable parking operators to publish and manage their reservable parking inventory on a common platform. The Inventory Management System allows operators to resell their reservable inventory through aggregators and resellers, as well as other nearby businesses including hotels, theaters, restaurants, and entertainment venues, while giving them more control over their parking spaces. 


Park Assist has been awarded the Parking Guidance System contract for Auburn University. Located in Auburn, Alabama, it spans across 1,840 acres and has grown to be one of the largest universities in the South. Park Assist also announces the promotion of Ron Votto to Vice President. With over 30 years of experience in the parking technology sector, Ron brings a depth of industry knowledge and leadership skills that make him an optimal addition to the Executive Leadership Team at Park Assist. In addition, the company has been selected to install its L4 lightpipe-sensor system at Legacy West’s Block H Garage in Plano, Texas. The addition of Park Assist’s L4 Parking Guidance System (PGS) will serve to ease unnecessary traffic and enhance each patron’s parking experience at Legacy West’s latest garage.


Oklahoma State Parks has partnered with Premium Parking to install and utilize 28 T2 Luke® ll Pay Stations, providing a streamlined entry solution that will save time and money for both Oklahoma State Parks and park-goers. Premium Parking was awarded the parking permit and enforcement contract and partnered with T2 Systems as their preferred pay machine partner for the Oklahoma State Parks.


Denison Parking announced that it will manage the initial parking operations at the 16 Tech Innovation District (16 Tech). Denison will use state-of-the-art License Plate Recognition technology to manage parking for the District’s first tenants. Located in downtown Indianapolis, 16 Tech is a 50-acre live-work-innovate community.


Circontrol will gather the main Spanish, European and Latin American experts from the mobility and electromobility sectors in the online eMobility Expert Meeting eConference on 17 September. The eConference will focus on the different issues currently facing the sector during the COVID-19crisis and Circontrol’s transition in recent times from a manufacturer to a supplier of charging solutions. “Every crisis is an opportunity,” explains the company’s CEO Joan Hinojo. 


GKD Metal Fabrics now offers designers and specifiers an unlimited array of color coating options when designing with metal fabric. Powder coating, specialty painting and also screen printing are used for adding color to stainless steel wire mesh, results in colorful fabric options that are also resistant to extreme heat, cold, bending and flexing.


Ottawa, ON turned to Schweers to radically transform their parking operation. Ottawa, ON is the first city in Canada to introduce the Schweers’ Politess Android Enforcement Solution. Schweers has been building parking enforcement solutions for 32 years. The company is proud to collaborate with the Capital of Canada to provide a powerful enforcement solution for this international city of 1.25 million and 11 million annual visitors. 


Mobile Smart City is proud to announce that Matthew Lazowski has joined the MSC team as Vice President of Business Development and Operations. Mr. Lazowski joins the company with over 20 years of experience in the Smart City, Mobility, and Parking industries, having had direct involvement leading projects from conception to implementation in all aspects of parking, access, and revenue control system designs. 


HUBER+SUHNER has been chosen as a preferred supplier of railway cables to Stadler as both companies extend their collaboration with a new agreement for a further three years until 2023. Known for its high-performing and customizable rail cable portfolio, HUBER+SUHNER will supply an important part of Stadler’s global cable demand as part of a new Global Price Agreement.


ParkMobile announced a new “Summer Safely” initiative with the State of Delaware to promote COVID-19 safety measures including wearing a mask, social distancing, and contactless parking payments. ParkMobile has also announced a new partnership with the cities of St. Cloud, Rockville, Fresno, Clearwater, Orlando, Nyack, New York, and the Chattanooga Parking Authority. In addition, ParkMobile, announced the launch of service on The University of Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa, on the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado, and on campus at SUNY Brockport. 


Vacationers and residents can now enjoy the long sandy coast of Fort Myers Beach without worrying about feeding – or touching – the parking meter. Paying through the Passport Parking app is simple: drivers download the free app, create an account, choose a zone, and enter their parking space number to begin a session. The City of New Bedford announces its partnership with Passport. Passport’s digital application launching in the City is a cashless alternative to paying at a meter or pay station, and will be replacing the City’s existing provider.


Google is rolling out a new way to pay for parking in Google Maps, which is live right now in Austin, Texas and will be available more widely in the coming weeks. The new feature, which comes from a partnership between Google and parking app Passport, lets users pay for parking directly in Google Maps as they approach their destination. Users can either pay via Google Pay or go to a payments site in their browser. 


Berg Insight released new findings about the market for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Europe and North America. The number of connected EV charging points in Europe and North America reached an estimated 0.9 million units in 2019. Europe represents the largest share of around 0.6 million of these charging points, corresponding to a connectivity penetration rate of 46 percent. 


Access Professional Systems announced that it has been selected to install a smart, simple, and scalable EnSight Technologies parking guidance system at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. The 298-acre mixed-use development will offer retail, restaurant, and residential space, as well as SoFi Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams. “We are thrilled to be providing parking guidance technology for this exciting project,” said Chris Scheppmann, president of Access Professional Systems. 


Bowling Green State University is introducing an app-based parking payment option for an estimated 1,850 short term parking spaces on the University’s main campus. BGSU parking customers can now utilize the PayByPhone mobile app to pay for one-time parking use. PayByPhone has expanded its service footprint in the state of Massachusetts. The City of Somerville is now offering the PayByPhone app to create a safer, and more efficient parking experience for both the city’s residents and visitors. Residents and visitors of Camden will soon have the opportunity to make smarter parking decisions when the city introduces the PayByPhone app for use on 750+ spaces around the city.



#