Did you see that parking garage collapse in New York City this week?
The details of this catastrophe are still being released, but there's something in the wake of the tragedy that caught my eye:
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 used for vehicle storage. ...
The incident occurred after a recent study raised concerns that many older parking garages may need to be re-evaluated due to the increasing average weight of vehicles, particularly electric models.
Again, there's no evidence as of yet that this was anything other than run-of-the-mill crumbling American infrastructure in the waning days of the republic.
But because EVs are the eventual future, it's worth knowing that they are heavy. QUITE heavy.
Consider: A standard gas-powered Ford F150 weights up to about 5,700 pounds. An F150 Lightning's max weight can reach up to just under 7,000 pounds.
An extra 1,300 pounds might not be too much for a parking garage to handle. But multiply that across hundreds or thousands of vehicles and, well — here's what British Parking Association member Chris Whapples said last year:
If a vehicle is heavier than the car park was originally designed for, the effects could be catastrophic. We've not had an incident yet, but I suspect it is only a matter of time
Yikes. Not good.
Oh, while I'm here, I should leave you with this other little detail the salesman forgot to mention about EVs:
