Robotic parking garage stacks 39 cars in space for 7

OAKLAND, CA (KPIX/CNN) - Parking space is tight, so one company is proposing to go vertical and automatic.

The first fully automated parking structure in northern California stacks 39 spaces into an area the size of just seven parking spaces.

Drivers can drive in, hop out, select a spot and let the machine do the rest.

It lifts each car to the designated spot, and when the drivers return, they can punch in their numbers, triggering the lift to bring the cars back down.

CityLift, the company behind parking project, said it makes every available square inch count. The tighter space also leads to a smaller carbon footprint. 

According to CityLift, the structure eliminates 91 percent of greenhouse gas emission compared to conventional parking structure. 

Oakland's Mayor Libby Schaaf calls it the future of city parking.

"This innovative company, which is perfectly based in Oakland, is a forward, future-looking approach to solving the urban transportation challenges," Schaaf said.

The structure will be used for monthly employees' parking in the morning and for general parking in the evening.

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