Tag Archives for: Amazon Alexa

Parkopedia launches Amazon Alexa default parking Skill as millions of Americans plan to travel this summer

June 08, 2022

 

 

 

Parkopedia launches Amazon Alexa default parking Skill as millions of Americans plan to travel this summer

 

 

●  50 million Americans are expected to be on the road during this year’s July 1–5 holiday period alone, with parking a top priority for drivers

●  The new Parkopedia Alexa Skill enables drivers to use voice interactions to find, reserve and pay for parking from anywhere – at home, on-the-go, or from the comfort of their vehicle en route to their destination

●  Alexa users can just say “Alexa, find parking nearby” or use locations, such as “Alexa, find parking in Seattle”, and Parkopedia will provide them with parking information including accurate location, opening hours, pricing and booking availability

●  Nearly 130 million US drivers currently use in-car voice assistants for hands-free convenience, improved safety and 24/7 connectivity2

 

 

08 June 2022 – London, UK – Leading connected vehicle services provider, Parkopedia, has launched a new Amazon Alexa Skill for voice-enabled parking assistance, supporting the millions of Americans who plan to travel by car this summer.

According to the American Automobile Association1, a record-breaking 43.6 million Americans were estimated to have driven to their destinations during the July 1–5 period alone last year – the highest on record, and 5% more than the previous record set in 2019, with this number expected to grow further this year to an estimated 50 million.

Parkopedia’s Alexa Skill enables drivers to seamlessly find, reserve and pay for a parking spot, either from home with Alexa-enabled smart home devices, on-the-go with ‘Echo Buds’ or the Alexa mobile app, or in the vehicle, using integrated Alexa or supported Alexa auto accessories.

Using Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, drivers will have access to the Parkopedia database of almost 75,000 off-street parking locations across America, including more than 6,000 reservable locations – allowing drivers to find the nearest parking spot either to a given address, their current location, or at their final destination. Parking can also be booked ‘hands-free’ in advance of, or during the journey, via any Alexa enabled device.

When a driver needs help finding the most convenient parking space, they can just say “Alexa, find parking nearby” or use locations, such as “Alexa, find parking in Seattle”, and Alexa will default to the Parkopedia Skill, providing users with information such as accurate parking location, pricing and facility opening hours, as well as confirming the required parking duration and total cost prior to booking. If a location has multiple parking options, drivers can ask Alexa to skip suggestions until they find a parking spot which best suits their needs.

Drivers are also able to ask the Parkopedia Skill to verbally confirm reservations, make payments via Amazon Pay, or request for an e-receipt to be sent.

Data from Juniper Research3 shows that by 2024, the number of voice-interactive devices in use (8.4 billion) is expected to overtake the world’s population, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic creating a surge of interest in contactless, voice-based interfaces for our daily demands. When used behind the wheel, voice assistants can simplify vehicle operability, help keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, and enable a more comfortable driving experience.

Eugene Tsyrklevich, Founder and CEO of Parkopedia, commented: “The growing popularity of at-home voice assistants means consumers now expect a seamless transition with this technology between work, home and in-car environments. When behind the wheel, one voice command can replace several manual actions, vastly improving safety and efficiency. The latest generation of voice assistants now also utilize AI to learn and think – understanding a variety of accents and gaining the ability to action more than one command at a time, as well as analyzing user data to learn individual preferences. The latest Parkopedia Alexa Skill is a progressive step forward for hands-free, in-car driver convenience technology, which is core to our product portfolio and continues to improve the driving experience.”

The Parkopedia Skill is planned to expand in the near future to cover more of the company’s existing services, such as on-street parking and dynamic predictably, which directs the driver to the nearest, available parking space, as well as finding parking at known locations, such as ‘work’ or ‘home’ and advising drivers of the distance from the suggested parking space to their final destination.

To learn more, or to download the Parkopedia

https://business.parkopedia.com/parkopedia-skill-meets-alexa

 

 

About Parkopedia

Parkopedia is the leading connected car services provider used by millions of drivers and organizations such as Audi, Apple, BMW, Ford, Garmin, GM, Hyundai Kia, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Sygic, TomTom, Toyota, Volkswagen, and many others. Parkopedia helps drivers find and pay for parking, EV charging, fuel and tolls in 15,000 cities across 89 countries. Parkopedia is also developing highly detailed parking maps and corresponding algorithms to help drivers and self-driving vehicles navigate to an open parking space indoors. Visit business.parkopedia.com for more information.

Media Contact

Adam Calland
Marketing Director
Parkopedia
T: +44(0)7838219129
E: adam.calland@parkopedia.com W: business.parkopedia.com

ParkWhiz Completes Equity Round with Follow-On Participation From Strategic Investors Including Alate Partners and Amazon Alexa Fund

November 13, 2018

 

 

 

ParkWhiz Completes Equity Round with Follow-On Participation From Strategic Investors Including Alate Partners and Amazon Alexa Fund

 

 

 

Financing From Industry Leaders Will Help Accelerate Expansion of ParkWhiz’s ArriveTM Connected Mobility Network

 

 

 

Chicago, November 13, 2018 – ParkWhiz announced today that it added an additional $5 million in equity to its recently announced Series D financing, bringing the total funding round led by NewSpring Capital to $25 million. The additional funding includes investments from strategic investors including Amazon’s Alexa Fund, Alate Partners, Chaifetz Group and Purple Arch Ventures.

 

The proceeds will be used to further expand the company’s industry-leading Arrive Network – ParkWhiz’s friction-free parking network. The partners were an ideal fit based on their ability to add value beyond capital and help the company more rapidly expand its consumer reach and its inventory coverage.

 

“The Alexa Fund was created to support companies building compelling products and services that leverage voice technology, and ParkWhiz is a fast-growing company that fits that profile perfectly,” said Paul Bernard, director of the Amazon Alexa Fund. “Customers love using its Alexa skill to find and reserve parking spaces using just their voice, and we’re excited to support them as they pursue deeper integrations with Alexa at home and on the go.”

 

“We’re excited to invest side-by-side with other great investors in a business model that we see as a disruptive force in the mobility space and that provides new options for the consumer,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Chairman of Chicago-based Chaifetz Group.

 

“We’ve been working closely with Amazon and Alate Partners, and we’re excited to welcome them as strategic investors in ParkWhiz,” said Yona Shtern CEO and Executive Chairman of ParkWhiz. “It represents an important opportunity for us to work together to further accelerate our growth, expand our inventory footprint to more premium properties in major urban centers across North America and bring a better way to park to millions of consumers through the Arrive Network.”

 

A powerful last-mile solution, the Arrive Network combines new wireless technologies with ParkWhiz’s innovative parking platform and industry-leading parking inventory footprint. Any driver using an Arrive-powered app or registered vehicle will be able to experience seamless payments and truly friction-free entry and exit at participating lots and garages.

 

“We partner with companies that disrupt the status quo in the real estate industry and use technology to rethink how physical assets are managed,” added Courtney Cooper, Director of Corporate Development at Alate Partners. “ParkWhiz’s ability to improve the parking experience while maximizing profits for real estate owners and managers is really impressive and has massive potential on a global scale.”

 

ParkWhiz has expanded rapidly over the last two years, providing more than 40 million customers with parking reservations and drive-up, friction-free parking experiences in garages and lots in the U.S. and Canada. It powers transactional parking services for hundreds of distribution partners, including sports teams and venues, events, travel providers, airlines, hotels, automotive OEMs, and navigation systems within their own apps, websites and emails. The technology can be operated via text, voice command or embedded right into the vehicle. Drivers can also find, book, and pay for parking via the company’s top-rated ParkWhiz and BestParking mobile apps and websites.

 

ParkWhiz launches new Amazon Alexa skill

October 31, 2017

 

 

ParkWhiz launches new Amazon Alexa skill

Drivers can now ask Alexa to find and book parking; ParkWhiz becomes first parking app to integrate voice commands

 

 

 

ParkWhiz today announced the launch of a new parking skill for the Amazon Alexa service, allowing customers to use voice-activated commands to find, reserve, and pay for parking.

 

The ParkWhiz skill for Alexa offers a hands-free method to find a parking space near an address, calculate the walking time to their destination and book parking on ParkWhiz.com. Once booked, drivers will receive an email notification with their parking pass which they can display on their smartphone for validation.

 

ParkWhiz takes the lead as the first on-demand parking service to develop this skill. The company believes that incorporating voice-activated technology into its transactions will increase both safety and convenience for drivers when this capability is available in cars. This integration is the first step in that journey to shape the future of transportation.

 

“ParkWhiz is committed to providing the best possible experience to our customers so we’re investing in the rapidly evolving field of voice-centered interactions to help deliver on that goal,” said Elizabeth Lindemulder, vice president of product at ParkWhiz. “Our skill for Amazon Alexa shows how we are delivering a friction-free experience. We want to give our customers more ways to find and book parking using whatever device they choose.”

 

Owners of Alexa-enabled devices, such as the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, can easily begin a ParkWhiz conversation with simple commands and questions related to their parking needs. The ParkWhiz skill for Alexa is free to enable and available on any device that supports Amazon Alexa in English in the U.S. Simply go into the “Skills” section of the Alexa app, search for ParkWhiz, and click enable.

 

For more information regarding the ParkWhiz skill for Alexa and supported requests, please visit http://www.parkwhiz.com/alexa.

 

About ParkWhiz

Headquartered in Chicago, ParkWhiz is the leading provider of scalable, on-demand parking services to both consumers and enterprise customers. Its consumer-facing applications, ParkWhiz and BestParking, provide the fastest and most efficient way for drivers to find and book parking spaces before reaching their destination. ParkWhiz helps consumers find parking with detailed, accurate data on over 27,000 parking facilities across the United States and Canada. The company’s Mobility Services Platform allows companies to integrate parking into their primary product or service. ParkWhiz delivers integrated parking data and transactional solutions to millions of consumers, mobile devices and connected vehicles through partners like Ford, Ticketmaster, Stubhub and many more. ParkWhiz has helped more than 6 million drivers seamlessly get where they need to be. For more information, visit ParkWhiz.com.

 

INRIX OpenCar To Integrate Amazon Alexa Into Connected Vehicles

January 04, 2017

INRIX

 

INRIX OpenCar To Integrate Amazon Alexa Into Connected Vehicles

 

 

Alexa provides OpenCar customers with voice-activated, on demand access to music, Audible, traffic, weather, news, sports and more.

 

 

KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 4, 2017  — INRIX, Inc., the world leader in connected car services and transportation analytics, today announced the integration of Amazon Alexa, the intelligent cloud based voice service, into the OpenCar platform for connected vehicles. In the second half of 2017, drivers with OpenCar enabled vehicles will be able to access a host of services from within their vehicle via Alexa, including Amazon Music, Audible audiobooks and INRIX Driver Services such as traffic, parking, incidents and road weather conditions.

An open, white-label in-vehicle application platform, INRIX OpenCar enables powerful cross-brand development for third-party content providers, a consistent and rich user experience for drivers, and brand-, model- and region-specific interfaces for automakers. The INRIX OpenCar ecosystem currently includes more than 2,250 registered developers representing hundreds of companies, offering a wide range of services including streaming audio and entertainment, city guides, real-time parking and mapping services, reservations and more.

In addition to Amazon Alexa automotive integration, INRIX is developing an Alexa skill that will enable users to communicate with their connected vehicles from within their homes. Using Alexa via products like Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, users will soon be able to ask the skill for real-time traffic, travel times to a destination, find and reserve parking, and more. Information, like route directions and traffic conditions, can be sent directly to OpenCar-equipped vehicles from inside the home, creating a seamless experience between the home and the car.

“The ubiquity of mobile and cloud technology in our lives makes the integration with Amazon Alexa a key solution for people looking to maintain personalized and seamless connectivity throughout their daily lives,” said Joe Berry, vice president of OpenCar at INRIX. “Innovative technology, like Amazon Alexa, enables OpenCar to meet the needs of automakers and deliver a next-gen experience for connected cars.”

For more information on INRIX OpenCar and how automakers can take advantage of the wide-range of content now available via the platform, visit INRIX.com/industry/automotive/. INRIX will be demonstrating Alexa on the OpenCar platform at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 5 and 6, 2017. Please email CES@INRIX.com to schedule an appointment.

 

About INRIX

INRIX is the global leader in connected car services and transportation analytics, a new approach that leverages big data and the cloud to help manage urban mobility. By aggregating a variety of sources and applying intelligence, INRIX delivers comprehensive data and solutions to help move people, cities and businesses forward. Our partners are automakers, governments, mobile operators, developers, advertisers, as well as enterprises large and small.

 

http://inrix.com