Multistorey Carparks at Risk

[PTR200S]

Hmm, who could have forseen this  😜

 

"Multi-storey car parks across the country could be at risk of collapse as heavier electric vehicles put pressure on ageing infrastructure, experts have warned.

Car parking experts and engineers have told The Telegraph that the growth of EV use in the UK could put pressure on car park floors, with unloved structures most susceptible to buckling.

So worried are some about the ability of car parks to hold new vehicles that new guidance is being developed that will raise the weight levels for what car park floors should be able to hold.

Chris Whapples, a structural engineer and car park consultant and the author of the new guidance, told The Telegraph: “I don’t want to be too alarmist, but there definitely is the potential for some of the early car parks in poor condition to collapse.”

“Operators need to be aware of electric vehicle weights, and get their car parks assessed from a strength point of view, and decide if they need to limit weight.”

[hughezee]

I guess limiting the amount or if any charging points would minimize the risks of overloading a structure. The reality of range anxiety, not many electric vehicle owners would park in places without the opportunity to charge.

[PaulS]

It would suit a lot of people if the powers that be simply made each parking space at least 1.5 times larger - simultaneously reducing the floor loading....

[PTR200S]

13 hours ago, hughezee said:

I guess limiting the amount or if any charging points would minimize the risks of overloading a structure. The reality of range anxiety, not many electric vehicle owners would park in places without the opportunity to charge.

That's a good point, just how many chargers are in these multi storey car parks?  On the other hand if the majority of people charge their cars at home , which is what I keep reading when they try to justify the cost of the electric, then following Pauls suggestion on making bigger spaces has merit.

[PTR200S]

11 hours ago, PaulS said:

It would suit a lot of people if the powers that be simply made each parking space at least 1.5 times larger - simultaneously reducing the floor loading....

Yes, the solution right there  !!!

I might be able to park my proper fuel cars without the danger of it getting dinged !!

[Laird_Scooby]

What about the risk of the battery catching fire in a BEV in a multistorey? Also the extra weight of a BEV in a "car park ding" could write someones normal car off.

I've heard many insurers are writing BEVs off for relatively minor prangs because they can't guarantee the battery is undamaged due to being discharged to facilitate body repairs - this will only drive the cost of insuring one of these behemoths up so even fewer people can afford to insure them but sadly will also push our premiums up.

[PTR200S]

I wondered about insurance levels rising too based on the write off  information that has been circulating. 

They already cost more than ice cars , I did test a few insurance companies a couple of years ago...just for information by the way before you get worried I might defect 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Josh98]

On 4/10/2023 at 7:58 AM, Laird_Scooby said:

What about the risk of the battery catching fire in a BEV in a multistorey? 

You called it, they reckon it was a diesel hybrid that apparently started the fire 🤔 but obviously as soon as any of the EV's that were also parked in there went up, it became unmanageable
 

 

I hadn't even given this kind of thing any thought at all, but from now on if i'm parking in any kind of car park i'm going to make sure i'm as far away from the charging stations and EV's as I can be.

[PTR200S]

Very worrying.....and three ? floors collapsed too ??   

Explosions, weight, and that bloke had left a tuna and cucumber sandwich in his glove box and couldn't get his van back !!!

[Laird_Scooby]

38 minutes ago, Josh98 said:

they reckon it was a diesel hybrid that apparently started the fire 

That doesn't surprise me at all, have you got a link to where they're saying it was a hybrid? It's about the only way a diseasel car can make like a dog and go "Woof!" the way that did on the CCTV etc.

[Josh98]

I've only been told it was a diesel hybrid word of mouth from somebody I know who works at LTN and from the Geoff video mentioning it as well, but yeah if it comes out as being just a diesel i'm not going to buy it for a second... 🤷‍♂️

 

[Laird_Scooby]

3 hours ago, Josh98 said:

if it comes out as being just a diesel i'm not going to buy it for a second... 🤷‍♂️

Diesels just don't go bang the way that did, diesel-hybrid or a BEV exploding next to a normal diseasel would cause it though if it managed to explode the diesel in the tank at the same time which pushes the argument towards a diesel-hybrid as the thermal runaway on the battery before it exploded would preheat the diesel making it more volatile, like a giant glow plug!