Britain’s Establishment of Structural Engineers (ISE) has launched up to date design steerage for multi-story automotive parks, or parking garages for individuals on the opposite aspect of the Atlantic however we must always take be aware right here within the U.S. Many parking garages weren’t constructed to deal with the present panorama of heavier vehicles. The hefty battery packs in electrical autos are an element within the improve, however even the standard combustion automotive on the street is getting heavier.
The ISE determined it must reassess parking storage requirements for 2 causes: The rise in common automobile weight and the proliferation of electrical autos. The rise in weight wasn’t attributable to particular person fashions getting heavier, however by the popularization of heavier automotive lessons. SUVs and pickup vehicles are proving simply as common within the UK as they’re right here within the U.S. In a launch, ISE famous:
The common automobile’s weight has risen from 1.5 tons in 1974 to virtually 2 tons immediately – on account of electrical and hybrid batteries and the dimensions of vehicles growing. This further load and the altering hearth security necessities are all issues not only for new automotive parks, however for present buildings too.
Electrical autos are one other concern as EVs aren’t any solely heavier than their combustion counterparts, but in addition use parking areas differently. Garages have grow to be a handy place to put in charging stations, that means that the construction must bear the load of autos being saved for longer intervals. The steerage is additionally tailored to cope with lithium-ion battery fires.
Guaranteeing that parking buildings are protected isn’t only a matter of defending costly machines, but in addition defending the lives of drivers, passengers and storage workers. ISE talked about the significance of studying from earlier collapses:
“Automotive park security is paramount, particularly given the learnings from structural failures, together with the Pipers Row ground collapse in Wolverhampton, UK in 1997. And this steerage is made more and more related with the latest, tragic collapse of a parking lot in Manhattan, New York which is presently being investigated.”
The parking construction collapse in New York killed one individual and injured six extra. A parking storage connected to a hospital in Florida additionally collapsed final month, fortunately leading to no deaths or accidents however leaving 111 vehicles trapped indefinitely within the rubble. Each occasions are nonetheless beneath investigation.