The Charles Pankow Foundation and partners have awarded a grant for Safe and Sustainable Parking Garage Live Loads in the Age of the Electric Vehicle, an investigation of differences between parking structures’ current design versus real world loadings. Electric vehicles’ additional weight compared to internal combustion engine cars, coupled with selective charging aisle alignment, calls for a data-driven analysis of the safety of current standards.
“It is unclear whether the existing parking garage live load of 40 pounds per square foot is acceptable for future garages. Recent parking garage collapses, especially one in New York, make the current imperative clear,” the Foundation notes. “Our industry has the opportunity to lead with improved concepts for design, enhancing safety and consistency while preserving valuable resources when appropriate. It is time for an innovative approach to conceptualizing and calibrating the role of electric vehicles in tomorrow’s parking garages.”
Safe and Sustainable Parking Garage principal investigators are the University of Colorado’s Dr. Ross Corotis and University of Massachusetts’ Dr. Sanjay Arwade. Joining them in the project are ASCE 7-28 Dead & Live Load Subcommittee of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Structural Engineering Institute, Structural Engineers Association of New York, and New York City Department of Buildings.