ROME – Electric cars are not only too expensive but, due to the presence of the huge lithium batteries that are used to recharge them and the reinforced structure necessary to house them, they also weigh about twice as much as their thermal counterparts. And this could represent a serious risk for the soundness of some public or private infrastructures.
For example, are we sure that the criteria with which multi-storey car parks were built would hold up to the greater weight of electric cars if they really represented the majority of cars parked inside? According to a study conducted in Great Britain by the British Parking Association (BPA) the answer is no. The damage that could be suffered by multi-storey car parks under the weight of electric vehicles would be potentially “catastrophic” and to avert this the association representing car park owners in the UK has urged local authorities to carry out urgent structural investigations.
Association engineers note that most of Britain’s 6,000 multi-storey and underground structures were built to weight-based guidelines for cars popular in 1976. But electric cars currently on the UK market are much bulkier . For example, a 1.4-ton Ford Cortina Mk3 that was all the rage at the time weighed half as much as today’s Tesla Model 3, which weighs 2.2 tons when fully loaded. And ”if the vehicles weigh more than the car park was originally designed to withstand, the effects could be catastrophic, says civil engineer and BPA member Chris Whapples. We haven’t had an accident yet, but I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time. However we have recommended carrying out a load check on all older car parks. And the industry is responding”.
Indeed, the Institute of Structural Engineers has now begun an update of its design recommendations for multi-level and underground car parks to be larger and capable of carrying higher loads. The new guidelines will be published by January and will cover new buildings and the strengthening of existing car parks. If of course this is possible. Alternatively Whapples suggests the possibility of limiting the entry of vehicles into car parks based on their weight.
However, there are those who do not share the alarm on electric vehicles. According to Ben Nelmes, CEO of the automotive consultancy NewAutoMotive, the BPA’s claims are “bizarre and misleading”. ”The best-selling petrol and diesel cars in the UK range from the Nissan Qashqai, VW Golf 8 and Kia Sportage, weighing between 1.4 and 1.7 tonnes. The best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model Y, weighs 1.6 tonnes and the electric Mini weighs 1.3 tonnes, like a Mini Cooper”. If anything, according to Nelmes, a reflection should be made on the enormous weight of SUVs, including internal combustion engines, and their growing diffusion in recent years. In short, the debate has started, will it also expand in Italy?