Heavy batteries in electric vehicles leave multi-storey car parks at risk of collapse

MULTI-STOREY car parks across the UK 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 Sunday Telegraph that the growth of EV use could put pressure on car park floors, with unloved structures most susceptible to buckling.

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

Chris Whapples, structural engineer and car park consultant and author of the new guidance, said: “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.”

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

EVs are much heavier than cars manufactured in the 1960s and 1970s, when many car parks were built.

For example, the current Tesla Model 3 weighs 1,672kg, compared with the 768kg Ford Cortina Mark 1. The Audi E-tron weighs 2,351kg, compared with the 770kg Vauxhall Viva, while even the Nissan Leaf weighs 1,580kg.

The Government recently published its Zero Emissions vehicle mandate, which puts restrictions on how many non-EV cars can be sold in the coming years ahead of an outright ban in 2030.

Steve Holmes, senior technical manager at building supply firm Sika, said that many car parks had structural defects “baked in”, which had been exacerbated by years of underfunding in maintenance by some owners.

Mr Holmes, who wrote a report on the issue, said: “As things get heavier, and there are more of them parking on these structures as a proportion, then maintenance becomes ever more important.”

Mr Whapples and Russell Simmons, chair of the British Parking Association’s structures group, have drawn up new guidance which will recommend higher load bearing weights to accommodate heavier vehicles. It is due to be published in the coming weeks.