Weight of electric vehicles could cause 'catastrophic' damage and 'lead to car parks collapsing': Engineers warn Britain's parking facilities were not designed for hulking battery cars

Daily Mail ^ | 12/18/22 | Isolde Walters

[Libloather]

Multi-storey and underground car parks could collapse under the weight of electric vehicles, engineers have warned.

Electric cars, which are roughly twice as heavy as standard models, could cause ‘catastrophic’ damage, according to the British Parking Association (BPA), which wants local authorities to conduct urgent structural surveys.

Most of the nation’s 6,000 multi-storey and underground facilities were built according to guidance based on the weight of popular cars of 1976, including the Mk 3 Ford Cortina.

But the electric cars currently on the UK market are far bulkier. For instance, the best-selling Tesla Model 3 weighs 2.2 tons fully loaded, making it more than 50 per cent heavier than a 1.4-tonne Cortina.

Structural engineer Chris Whapples, a member of the BPA which represents car-park owners, said: ‘If a vehicle is heavier than the car park was originally designed for, the effects could be catastrophic. We’ve not had an incident yet, but I suspect it is only a matter of time.

‘We have recommended that a loading check is performed on all older car parks. And the industry is responding.’

Electric vehicles are heavier predominantly because of the batteries used to power them, and the reinforced framework and suspension needed to accommodate them.

‘All the internal components make these batteries very, very heavy,’ said Mr Whapples. ‘Nowadays, the battery forms the underfloor of most EVs. It’s contained over virtually the entire footprint of the vehicle, from axle to axle.’

Electric cars have soared in popularity in recent years. Today there are an estimated 620,000 on the road in the UK, and 440,000 plug-in hybrids which use both petrol and electric.

One in ten new cars sold in 2021 was electric, while a further seven per cent were hybrid.

[citizen]

They don’t make them like that anymore. Too bad.

[GaltAdonis]

My Grandad had a 1968 Chrysler Newport like this one - yes also black.
That thing ran for many years - my mom even drove it for 4 or 5 years
after grandpa died.