What happens when you ask engineers to solve municipal problems instead of pouring more concrete? You don’t just build bigger garages—you build smarter ones.
That’s exactly what AutoParkIt did.
By rethinking how cities handle parking, their system can fit 200 cars in the same space where traditional garages fit 100. No ramps. No wasted aisles. No attendants. Just pure engineering efficiency.
“It’s a valet service without the valet attendant.”
And the results aren’t theoretical. They’re real, measurable, and built—right in the heart of cities like Detroit and Los Angeles.
The Problem with Traditional Parking
Cities waste millions on concrete ramps, drive aisles, HVAC, and lighting—features that don’t add value, just bulk. Developers stick with what they know because it’s “safe.” But that safety costs them space, money, and sustainability.
Take Milwaukee, for example. Stadiums, nightlife, and lakefront attractions are all fighting for limited space. Nobody wants to park a mile away in -30° windchill just to get dinner. Parking isn’t just inconvenient—it’s broken.
The Engineering Fix
AutoParkIt flips the script. By eliminating everything a car doesn’t need—ramps, operators, and massive ventilation systems—it makes room for more of what cities actually want: people and progress.
- 200% parking density
- 40% cheaper operations
- 100% electric
- 99.9% uptime
Using AC motors—the same industrial workhorses trusted in manufacturing—these systems are designed for reliability, not just novelty. Cars are retrieved in under three minutes, and emissions drop by up to 83% because engines stay off inside the fully electric environment.
Detroit’s Underground Revolution
The historic Detroit Free Press Building, a century-old skyscraper that never had parking, found its solution underground.
Where printing presses once stood, AutoParkIt engineered a new kind of infrastructure—an autonomous parking system built in the old pressroom basement.
It’s a case study in how manufacturing innovation can breathe new life into aging architecture and outdated assumptions.
Solving EV Charging Too
Parking wasn’t the only problem AutoParkIt set out to fix.
Electric vehicle charging has a scaling issue—installing one charger per car is both expensive and inefficient.
Instead of building 450 chargers, AutoParkIt installs 32, rotating cars through the chargers automatically.
That simple change cuts 90% of capital costs and delivers ROI in as little as two years.
“We rotate cars through the charging station. It allows us to lower the infrastructure cost by millions of dollars.”
The same automated movement that parks cars can now charge them, turning parking garages into smart energy ecosystems.
From Parking Lots to Marinas and Stadiums
The technology doesn’t stop at cars.
AutoDockIt and AutoStoreIt extend the same principles to boats, containers, and mixed-use facilities—combining vehicle storage, charging, and logistics under one automated system.
Imagine a marina where boats and cars share the same compact, electric infrastructure. Every marina in the world struggles with parking. This tech solves both problems at once.
Engineering Confidence: Reliability at Scale
In 2024, one of the California systems logged 99.92506% uptime—a number few buildings, let alone machines, can claim. That’s manufacturing reliability applied to urban infrastructure.
These systems use standard PLCs (programmable logic controllers), not exotic robotics, ensuring long-term maintainability and cost-effectiveness. The reliability isn’t hype—it’s the result of decades of industrial engineering experience applied to one of the oldest headaches in city design.
The Bigger Picture
Manufacturing isn’t just about products—it’s about problem-solving.
When engineers look at infrastructure differently, entire industries evolve.
Parking, charging, marinas, and logistics are merging into a single automated ecosystem. The technology exists. The capital exists. The environmental incentives are undeniable.
So, what’s holding cities back?
As Shawn Adams put it,
“There’s always hesitation with new technology. But when you can double capacity or shrink the footprint—it opens up worlds.”
Why Manufacturing Runs the World
AutoParkIt proves that manufacturing and automation aren’t just about robots on factory floors—they’re about reimagining how cities live, move, and grow.
It’s innovation built from steel, sensors, and software—solving real-world problems one system at a time.
This isn’t Silicon Valley disruption.
It’s manufacturing at work.
Watch the full episode: Manufacturing Runs The World — The AutoParkIt Story
📺 YouTube: @ManufacturingRunsTheWorld
