GIKEN develops EV ECO Park™ - automated parking facility for ultra-compact electrical vehicles

GIKEN LTD. (Head Office: Kochi City, President: Shinnosuke Moribe) has developed the world's first*¹ automated parking facility for ultra-compact electric vehicles*² called EV ECO Park^TM.　 The feature of the EV ECO Park system is that while keeping the functions of the ECO Park^TM - space-saving, high-capacity designs, and speed of delivery, charging function has been added.

The EV ECO Park will contribute to carbon neutrality by solving the shortages of parking spaces and charging facilities, which is an issue for the adoption increase of the ultra-compact electric vehicles.

Amid the growing attention to Smart Cities, Super City*³, and SDGs initiatives that solve social and urban issues, EV ECO Park can be utilized in a variety of ways for the development of the forefront communities to achieve a sustainable future.

The EV ECO Park is a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 9.5m and a height of 15m. The occupation area is approximately 80㎡ and accommodates 40 vehicles (8 vehicles per layer × 5 layers). If to park 40 ultra-compact EVs at a typical flat parking lot*, it will require about 400 square meters of land. However, the EV ECO Park accounts for only about one-fifth of this. Even in locations where it is difficult to secure a large lot of land, a high-capacity parking lot can be installed, and land can be used effectively.

*Space of flat parking lot is calculated on based on parking bay with a width of 2m and a length of 3m, layout of car lane and the location of charging facility.

The number of parts used to build the EV ECO Park has been reduced to one-fourth compared to the standard ECO Park, and the mechanical structure has been simplified. This reduces the cost and time required to produce and maintain materials, as well as the risk of breakdown. It also reduces the environmental impact of CO₂ generated by manufacturing and disposal.

Depending on the site location and conditions, underground model and aboveground model can be selected. Underground model creates a space on the ground and aboveground model, which the exterior appearance can be freely laid out, can be an "attractive parking lot" to the site.

Electric vehicles are indispensable for decarbonization. Among them, the ultra-compact EVs, which have less environmental impact will contribute greatly to the realization of decarbonization. However, due to the lack of car parks that can make advantage of the compactness and the lack of charging facility are stagnating the adoption of the ultra-compact EVs. EV ECO Park^TM will solve these issues and will create an environment in which everyone can easily utilize the ultra-compact EVs, including densely populated urban areas, rural areas that are becoming depopulated and do not require large passenger vehicles, at tourist sites and commercial areas.

GIKEN also has a view on providing a "package" solution that includes post-installation operations, car sharing, delivery, and pickup services.

Rather than leading the sale of products, we will propose services tailored to each community to solve their issues. GIKEN will first aim adoption of the EV ECO Park in smart cities and super cities to participate in the design of the new community development.

■Profile of GIKEN Group
GIKEN developed the SILENT PILER, the world's first reaction-based hydraulic pile jacking machine, installing piles with no noise and vibration. GIKEN Group now actively promotes the Press-in Technology worldwide and contributes to the construction industry by proposing and implementing innovative solutions. The innovative technology of press-in provides a unique solution and the adoption of this technology has grown to more than 40 nations and regions.