THE multi-storey car parks represent a vital service, especially in large cities, but given the constant weight gain of modern cars there is a risk of exceeding the weight limit that the structure is able to support, with catastrophic consequences. The alarm comes from British Parking Association which warns of imminent danger by referring to the diffusion of electric cars, whose weight is often significantly greater than an endothermic counterpart due to the weight of the lithium batteries; in fact, given the large diffusion of SUVs we have witnessed in recent years, the danger is also real when it comes to endothermic cars.
Interviewed by Daily Mail, Chris Whapples of BPA sounded the alarm:
“If a vehicle is heavier than the parking lot can handle, there is a risk of catastrophic effects. There have been no crashes yet, but I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time. We have recommended that you carry out checks on the load that older multi-storey car parks can carry. The industry is responding to the call.”
According to reports from the Daily Mail most multi-storey and underground car parks in the UK were “designed on guidelines which were based on the weight of the most popular cars in 1976, such as the Ford Cortina Mk3“, a car that weighed just under 1 ton – a fully loaded Tesla Model 3 can easily exceed 2 tonnes.
However, there are those who do not agree with this catastrophic vision, such as the CEO of NewAutoMotive, Ben Nelmes, who expressed himself in very clear words regarding these statements:
“The most popular petrol and diesel cars in the UK are the Nissan Qashqai, Golf 8 and Kia Sportage, with weights ranging between 1.4 and 1.7 tonnes, while the best-selling electric is the Tesla Model Y with a weight of 1.6 tons, while among the compact electric cars we find the Mini which weighs 1.3 tons in both the electric and endothermic versions. Both best-selling electric models weigh in line with popular petrol and diesel cars, yet the BPA still talks about electric cars as if they are a weight issue – too bad they forget to mention that batteries become lighter and lighter with each new generation of cars.
Perhaps BPA should be concerned about the increasing number of SUVs on our roads, such as the new Land Rover Discovery, which now weighs 2.4 tonnes.”
