EVs TOO HEAVY FOR PARKING LOTS?

By Éric Descarries

The British Parking Association recently reported some funny news. It seems, according to the association, that electric vehicles are too heavy for several multi-storey parking garages, which were built many years ago (especially during the sixties and seventies) when the vehicles were much lighter.

It is true that new EVs are equipped with battery packs that have added extra weight to cars and vans while the concrete floors are no longer able to support this excess weight. The association draws our attention, for example, to the Tesla Model S, which weighs over 5,000 pounds (about 2,267 kilos) and even more, to the GMC Hummer EV pick-up, which weighs over 9,000 pounds (about 4,082 kilos)! Do you remember the weight of a Honda Civic from the seventies? It was 1495 pounds (678 kilos)! And we were told that vehicles were getting lighter and lighter!

Closer to home, newspapers have reported collapsing floors in multi-storey parking garages (including one recently in Detroit). In addition, some of them no longer allow electric cars (including the Chevrolet Bolt) to be parked there out of fear of fire! Whew! This will be an issue to watch!