A vehicle navigation device may include a processor. The processor may receive an illumination map that includes route segments corresponding to an area. The illumination map may include a probability of solar radiation value for each of the route segments. The processor may receive a request to generate a navigation route from a start point to an end point within the area. The processor may determine navigable routes from the start point to the end point using the route segments. The processor may determine an overall probability of solar radiation value for each of the navigable routes based on the probability of solar radiation value for each route segment. The processor may identify a navigable route considering the overall probability of solar radiation values as an illumination route. The processor may generate an instruction to a display device to display the illumination route as a navigable route for the vehicle.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to evaluating quality of a predetermined pullover location for an autonomous vehicle. For instance, a plurality of inputs for the predetermined pullover location may be received. The plurality of inputs may each include a value representative of a characteristic of the predetermined pullover location. The plurality of inputs may be combined to determine a pullover quality value for the predetermined pullover location. The pullover quality value may be provided to a vehicle in order to enable the vehicle to select a pullover location for the vehicle.

Generating parking area statistics for identifying parking areas within a geographic region. Navigation support for reaching a top-ranked parking area according to collected parking area data, user preferences, parking feedback, and real-time traffic conditions. Selection of a top-ranked parking area and monitoring progress during a parking event improve future identification and ranking of parking areas.

A method for optimizing a parking spot database is provided including determining a utility score of a candidate route to a candidate parking spot of a plurality of parking spots of a parking spot database based on an availability status of a non-candidate parking spot along the candidate route, and selecting the candidate route from a plurality of candidate routes based on the utility score.

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The method computer program products, and systems can include, for instance: determining a current transportation mode of a user with use of data of a user passenger vehicle associated to the user and data of a user auxiliary passenger vehicle associated to the user, wherein the user passenger vehicle is capable of carrying the user auxiliary vehicle, and wherein the user auxiliary vehicle is configured to be hand carried by the user; evaluating a current route of the user in dependence on the current transportation mode of the user as determined by the determining; and providing one or more output in dependence on the evaluating.

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for directing a parked autonomous vehicle to travel autonomously from a parking spot to a pickup spot. In one example scenario, a user of a user device such as a smartphone, may launch a software application in the smartphone for summoning the autonomous vehicle that is parked in a parking lot or a road, for example. The software application displays a graphical rendering of the parking area together with an icon that can be dragged and dropped by the user at any convenient pickup spot in a valid drivable area shown on the graphical rendering. The user places the icon upon a desired pickup spot and the smartphone transmits a command to the autonomous vehicle to travel to the pickup spot. A real-time representation of a progress of the autonomous vehicle towards the pickup spot may be displayed on the user device.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for increasing solar power generation during vehicle parking. Example methods may include determining that a first parking spot and a second parking spot are available within a line of sight via a vehicle sensor, determining a parking duration based on a user profile and a current location of the vehicle, determining a first shading area for the first parking spot and a second shading area the second areas based on the parking duration, determining, based on the first shading area and the second shading area, potential power generation at the first parking spot and the second parking spot during the parking duration, and determining, based on the potential power generation at the first parking spot and the second parking spot during the parking duration, which parking spot to park.

A system includes a first computer and a second computer. The first computer is programmed to receive a request from the second computer to move a vehicle from a first location to a second location and synchronize a timer stored in each of the computers. The first computer determines a route including waypoints from the first location to the second location and determines predicted travel times for legs of the route. The predicted travel times include a first predicted travel time for a first leg defined from the first location to a first waypoint included in the waypoints and the first computer transmits the route and the travel times to the second computer. The second computer is programmed to determine an elapsed time of travel and predict a location of the vehicle based on the elapsed time of travel and the first predicted travel time.

A navigation service determines that a first user intends to navigate to a shared destination from a first location, at a first time, and that a second user intends to navigate to the shared destination from a second location, at a second time within a threshold interval of the first time. The navigation service notifies the first user using an electronic notification that the second user intends to navigate to the shared destination, receives from the first user an electronic request to coordinate navigation to the shared destination with the second user, and in response to receiving the electronic request, provides navigation directions to the shared destination to a device associated with the first user in view of a progress of the second user toward the shared destination.

An information providing system includes an onboard device and a server that transmits information to and receives information from the onboard device. The onboard device includes a condition setting unit that acquires a destination and an output mode and transmits the acquired destination and the acquired output mode to the server. The onboard device further includes an output unit that outputs parking lot recommendation information which is received from the server. The server includes a storage unit that stores parking lot information including position information of parking lots and parking fees which are detected from a captured image of the parking lots. The server further includes an information providing unit that prioritizes parking lots which are located within a predetermined range from the destination based on the output mode provides the parking lot information of the prioritized parking lots as the parking lot recommendation information to the onboard device.