Japan's NEC has begun testing parking technology, developed with fellow Japanese firm UrbanChain, that only starts billing a driver once they have parked and left their vehicle, rather than from the moment they enter the car park. This addresses a long-standing gripe with conventional systems, which typically start the clock on entry and so charge drivers for time spent searching for a space or manoeuvring towards the exit.

The system relies on cameras and real-time AI video analysis to detect when a car has parked and its occupant has departed, and trials due in September will determine how many cameras such a setup requires. NEC also flagged potential add-ons, including monitoring how many occupants leave vehicles and analysing visitor trends at commercial sites, though the companies frame the approach as a safety measure too, since it could flag drivers who remain in their car unusually long, a possible sign of illness, and may encourage safer driving by removing the incentive to rush.