Proton Cars Will Come with Integrated Smart Parking System Soon

One of the biggest pet-peeves in owning a car is to find parking spots in any places you go. Fortunately, there’s a few places in Malaysia like Penang that have created a smart parking system to help car users searching for vacant parking lots easier, rather than wasting their time looking for one.

To help further spread its usage, local tech firm HeiTech Padu Bhd (HPB) has penned a memorandum of collaboration (MoC) with partner ACO Tech to integrate the Penang smart parking system into Proton cars. This partnership will see Proton cars in the future to come standard with this smart parking system, enabling Proton car owners to locate available parking spots and make payments easily via the vehicle’s infotainment system.

ACO Tech's infotainment system used in the new Proton X90

For context, ACO Tech has been powering the infotainment systems with the firm’s proprietary GKUI operating system in many Proton cars, including the newly-launched Proton X90.

HPB Vice-President Abdul Halim Md Lassim (third from left) & ACO Tech CEO Li Pu penned the MoC agreement. Photo credit: HeiTech Padu

This MoC partnership was signed off by HPB executive vice president Abdul Halim Md Lassim and ACO Tech CEO Li Pu at the Proton Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Shah Alam. Also present during the signing were Proton Holdings Berhad (PHB) DCEO Roslan Abdullah, while Nur Aishah Md Norodin represented the Penang State Government Secretary (SUK).

As reported by New Straits Time, HPB president and executive deputy chairman Datuk Sri Hilmey Mohd Taib said this collaboration is a significant milestone for both HPB and ACO Tech, as it demonstrates the commitment shown by both parties towards innovation and excellence in mobility-enhancing technology.

HeiTech Padu president and executive deputy chairman Datuk Sri Hilmey Mohd Taib

"The smart parking solutions is an advanced parking management platform that utilises modern technologies such as sensors, mobile apps and cloud computing to provide real-time information on parking availability, location and pricing

"We are confident that integrating the Penang smart parking system into Proton cars will be a game-changer for the automotive industry in Malaysia," Datuk Sri Hilmey said.

With this integration, drivers in Penang don’t have to waste their time looking for available parking spots, as they can do so at the convenience of their own car. As we mentioned earlier, this system not only allows for smart parking spotting, but payment for said parking can also be made.

Fully-developed by HPB, the Penang integrated smart parking system is the first of its kind in Malaysia, which has already been rolled out in Penang, as well as the neighbouring district of Kulim in Kedah. Aside from smart parking solutions, the firm has also developed smart tax and rental collection systems for local councils.

"The smart parking solutions are our contribution to the smart mobility component of the Malaysian Smart City Framework (MSCF), which is aligned with our vision of empowering local councils to become smart cities,” Datuk Sri Hilmey added.