Automotive: Electric cars and SUVs may be barred from parking garages

The collapse of a parking garage in New York City on Tuesday that killed at least one person has put a new spotlight on aging structures and heavy electric vehicles.

The incident occurred after a recent study raised concerns that many older parking garages may need to be re-evaluated due to the increased weight of electric vehicles.

If all the vehicles parked in a garage were electric, there is a decent chance the garage may collapse given how heavy electric vehicles are.

The report from the British Parking Association noted that some electric cars weigh more than double what popular models in the same segments did in the 1960s, due in part to their heavy battery packs.

For instance, a Tesla Model S weighs over a thousand pounds more than a gas-powered Mercedes E-Class, while a 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EV is 2,400 pounds heavier than the similarly-sized Hummer H2 that was last sold in 2009.

“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,” car park consultant and structural engineer Chris Whapples told The Telegraph.