Smart cars are the perfect design for the city. They’re small (8.8 feet in length), ecologically friendly, and can significantly reduce your parking time. And yes, you can even look damn cool in one. 

So when local San Francisco advertising firm Hub Strategy came to us earlier this month to announce the launch of smart spots, an app that finds tiny smart car parking spots, we wanted to learn more. 

“Smart spots is an app that helps smart car drivers find those teeny little parking spots that only smart cars can fit into,” said Hub Strategy Founder and Creative Director DJ O'Neil. “It’s amazing how many of these spots there are. If you have a smart car, you can drive around and find these spots. But if you have the smart spots app, you can just open it up and see all these little parking gems mapped out around your location.”

The app uses social media to connect a wider network of smart car drivers to share spots in San Francisco. It also provides you with a GPS tracking system which aggregates location tips shared by other users and a way for you to rate your experiences on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The result is a map of empty, user-generated, curbside parking spots for only the smart car driver to enjoy. 

We were skeptical at first on whether the app would actually have some utility, given the fact that so many parking apps before it have yet to pick up steam time and time again. But smart spots have a uniquely different spin. The app only tends to a small, exclusive community, where people are more likely to share their insights and less likely to fall victim to the social media bystander effect (yes, that’s a thing). So it has its merits. 

“There are a few parking apps (in San Francisco) but this is the first one specific to smart cars," says O'Neil. "It’s also the first one we know of that finds spots that only a certain car can park in.”

So if you own a smart car, or are thinking about owning or renting one, take the smart spots tour. It’s worth the effort if it saves you on gas, time and money. Isn't it?

Click here to download Smart Spots from the Apple store.

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