INTERVIEW WITH VEPA VERTICAL PARKING

VePa Vertical Parking is a PropTech start-up from Munich that has developed vertical parking towers as a sustainable and innovative solution to the parking space problem of real estate projects and within urban spaces. 

Their motto is “Let’s rethink parking“, because their VePa towers are a space-saving solution as they can vertically store 12 cars in an area of two parking spaces. In this way, the potential usable areas of real estate and within cities can be fully exploited. Compared to underground parking, the parking spaces in the towers are not only 30% cheaper, but also save an average of 98% CO2, thus contributing to the achievement of climate targets. 

The modular construction of our parking towers allows them to be assembled and disassembled within 5 days and guarantees individual adaptation to the needs of customers. With the modular construction comes the possibility to flexible facade designs and electric charging stations as well as a photovoltaic system can be integrated. Furthermore, parking spaces for bicycles and motorbikes are to be created and the integration of shared cars and micromobility is being considered. 

With all this, the company facilitates the transition from traditional to zero-emission mobility concepts and creating more livable and environmentally friendly spaces. 

Interview with David Schön, Co-Founder of VePa Vertical Parking.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company? 

David Schön: Within the company, we combine the know-how from mechanical engineering, the construction industry, planning and the software that is needed within this field and for the creation of our VePa parking towers. Our focus is on putting the customer and in particular the end user into the center of our work and aligning every work step accordingly. 

Therefore, it is part of our daily business to manage the entire process together with our partners. This process begins with the feasibility and planning of a tower, which includes feasibility analyses, visualizations and building law approvals. The next step focuses on the construction of the park tower, where we work closely with our manufacturing partners to customize the tower to the client’s needs and finally put it into operation. 

E.E: What’s the news about new products? 

D.S: The combination of engineering know-how on the one hand, but also constructive know-how, paired with the knowledge of software-supported planning processes. The USP of the VePa parking towers is also considered to be the charging infrastructure in a limited space and the multifunctional use of the machine, which ranges from a parking tower for the real estate industry to an urban mobility hub. 

E.E: What are the ranges of products? 

D.S: In real estate projects, our vertical parking towers are considered the optimal solution to the parking problem and the unsealing of potential usable space. Through extensions, the VePa parking towers can also be used in some other cases. 

The VePa parking towers also enable the extension of urban sustainability concepts by offering Mobility Hubs, combining micro mobility, shared mobility and electric charging infrastructure – all in one place. As a result, these innovative charging stations replace the existing roadside charging stations, freeing up more space for greening the city, which would be the first step towards more car-free zones and a higher quality of life in urban areas. 

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active? 

D.S: Currently, the market is changing from parking spaces for conventional cars to mobility centers, with the desire not to build more underground garages. 

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends? 

D.S: The market trends are closely related to the currently relevant social trends. With regard to society, the focus is on increasing sustainability and identifying CO2-reducing solutions in the real estate industry as well as in cities which will have a positive impact on our future. In urban mobility, it is becoming increasingly important to create more car-free zones and to focus on shared mobility to ensure a more qualitative life in cities. 

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed? 

D.S: For us, quite clear – vertical parking towers with electronic charging infrastructure! 

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022? 

D.S: Due to the ever-increasing climate change, innovative products like ours are becoming more and more important. In 2022, these products and the changes in the market will be implemented more slowly than expected, due to the various current crises. For us, however, it is still a matter of providing our proof of concept this year so that we can continue to scale and really take off in the coming years.