EV's Too Evee For Car Parks

[Bper]

Heavy electric cars could be banned from old multi-storey car parks, engineers have warned.

The Institution of Structural Engineers has said that weight limits should be imposed on older buildings to cope with the increasingly heavy Ev's following a review.

Chris Whapples, a fellow and overseeing consultant for the review, said: “I think a lot of old owners will opt for imposing a weight limit rather than paying for strengthening measures.”

New electric vehicles are much heavier than the average petrol or diesel car and EV batteries account for much of this, usually weighing around 500kg.

They typically make the car much heavier than the ones manufactured in the 1960s and 1970s, when many car parks were built.

There are 6,000 multi-storey car parks across the UK, and the review warned that the unloved structures are most susceptible to buckling under the added weight.

[Cyker]

I can't imagine it will be that big an issue given how many over-roided SUVs you see in most of them already. I'd be more worried about bridges!

[Rhymes with Paris]

3 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I can't imagine it will be that big an issue given how many over-roided SUVs you see in most of them already. I'd be more worried about bridges!

No worries Cyker, some of them are built properly.(bridges that is)

Although there have been some catastrophic failures, I trust the ones built by Mr Brunel.

 

[Cyker]

I must admit I'd rather drive over a british bridge than an american one!  

 

[Yugguy1970]

How would this be policed, weighbridges on the entrances?

[Cyker]

I'm imagining something akin to Willy Wonka's Educated Eggdicators...

[Rhymes with Paris]

 

2 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

How would this be policed, weighbridges on the entrances?

Easy, wait for a collapse, and then say "lessons will be learned"

Seriously though, infrastructure such as multi storey car parks and bridges are usually well monitored by structural engineers who know what they are talking about.

 

[Bper]

Short term they could alocate the ground floor for EV's only, in the longer term without structural support on the upper floors, weighbridges installed on entry and alocated bays on upper levels to distribute the weight.

Obviously this is probably decades away before it becomes an issue so by then they would have figured it out as they always do when money is involvedesigned still interesting. 

[Cyker]

Might not even become a problem, as the lack of working chargers might mean most EVs are stranded by the side of the road or queuing for chargers, or they just add so many fines and taxes per mile that nobody can afford to drive!  

...

It's a good thing my job isn't a motivational speaker...

 

[Bper]

2 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Might not even become a problem, as the lack of working chargers might mean most EVs are stranded by the side of the road or queuing for chargers, or they just add so many fines and taxes per mile that nobody can afford to drive!  

...

It's a good thing my job isn't a motivational speaker...

 

Cyker, it's all academic anyway we all know that the infrastructure for national EV charging is a political pipe dream. The grid will require a least 5 nuclear power stations and each one of these takes a least 5 years to build. Then there is the upgrade to the power network which requires larger cables and bigger HV main lines.

The cost of this will prohibit this happening and it only takes HS2 to see they will not spend the money to finish this. So unless the digital currency agenda takes place then money will just be figures on a screen it will not happen in a few generation's if at all.☺️

[FROSTYBALLS]

This story has been doing the rounds since April at least - e.g. https://www.topgear.com/car-news/suvs/uk-car-parks-are-apparently-danger-collapsing-because-new-cars-are-so-heavy

If it is such an issue, and for those car parks at risk, one answer would be to limit the number of spaces provided for EVs, or reduce the capacity of the car park. 

Any new car parks built would also have to have increased weight capacities.