Parking Garage Structural Rating (Inquiry)

[Dirtman16]

are you sure about those numbers? The Royal workshop is 5,500 pounds per square INCH.

Well, considering that would fracture most concrete, I think psf is the right unit. Or did I miss a joke?

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[EVTrukHog]

A bit of light googling about building codes and design standards yields uniform design live loads of 40-50 psf for parking garages. A Rivian R1S is around 60-65 psf, if you consider just its footprint. Obviously, that would be too much if every open space and lane in the parking deck was occupied. There are also load factors on the design load which give some additional factor of safety (wiggle room). So, it's probably fine until the garage is full of all heavy vehicles and lanes are occupied.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how low the design value is. I'll bet this gets bumped up a bit in later code revisions. I'm also not a structural engineer, so take this with a grain of salt.

are you sure about those numbers? The Royal workshop is 5,500 pounds per square INCH.

5,500 PSI concrete is the compressive strength of concrete. The 40-50 psf rating is for a structural system which may include concrete. Two different things.

 

[Count Orlok]

Well, considering that would fracture most concrete, I think psf is the right unit. Or did I miss a joke?

no joke. PSI is all I've ever seen used. but then I'm no expert.

 

[Count Orlok]

5,500 PSI concrete is the compressive strength of concrete. The 40-50 psf rating is for a structural system which may include concrete. Two different things.

thank you. that makes sense.

 

[Zoidz]

Depending on the source, it seems the safety factor in newer designs is anywhere from 1.5x to as much as 5x, so from a collapse viewpoint, it's highly unlikely.

There is another longer term concern that factors into weight limits - long term flexing wear and tear. The concern is that repeatedly (over years) the concrete structure will eventually crack due to the stress that each vehicle creates as it drives through the structure. Of course, heavier vehicles cause more stress.

 

[opnwide]

Do you live in a condo high rise in Florida by chance?

 

[MtnRiv]

I recently was informed by my building management team (property management) I may not park a Rivian above the ground floor in an above ground parking structure due to the excessive weight of EV Trucks (CT, R1, Ford, GM, etc.) This is bound to create confusion when EV charging is on L2+.

It appears that many if not most modern garage structural designs are only rated for 6,000lbs. (This specific garage was constructed in 2019-2021).

Does anyone have experience with this. I of course have seen older garages with much lower ratings have issues and in some cases failures, but this was news to me with regard to newer construction.

Do they also have restrictions on Diesel trucks? I.e. F250, 2500 HD, etc? A few Rivians won’t break anything anyway. Seems like a stupid theory. Ok, maybe if you pack the entire garage with Rivians it “might” become an issue, but that’s not going to happen. All permitted buildings should have compensated for those types of variables. Not like the floor is going to fall out from under you like a cartoon just because your ONE vehicle is heavier than the other ones. It so, they better think of another career other than construction! My Diesel F250 weighs more than my Rivian. I have NEVER been told I can’t park on an upper lever because it is “too heavy”.

 

[Rividiculous]

Parking garage owners and inspectors definitely need to up their game as EVs take over. A garage near me collapsed just over a year ago. I saw some speculation that EVs contributed (not in the linked article)—but, of course, negligence was the real issue.

Obviously EVs are heavier but I suspect we are near peak weight now as batteries (and the rest of the vehicle) advance and become lighter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/nyregion/nyc-parking-garage-collapse.html

 

[Forager]

I recently was informed by my building management team (property management) I may not park a Rivian above the ground floor in an above ground parking structure due to the excessive weight of EV Trucks (CT, R1, Ford, GM, etc.) This is bound to create confusion when EV charging is on L2+.

It appears that many if not most modern garage structural designs are only rated for 6,000lbs. (This specific garage was constructed in 2019-2021).

Does anyone have experience with this. I of course have seen older garages with much lower ratings have issues and in some cases failures, but this was news to me with regard to newer construction.

Structural Engineer here. I skimmed a few responses and let’s just say I’m not going to bother fact checking anyone, but there’s a lot of speculation in this thread that’s best ignored.

Modern parking garages should be able to handle a Rivian with no concern if they were properly designed. Code minimum design weight is 40 psf Live Load in addition to any other dead (self weight) loads of the building, a standard stall is 8.5’x19’ which equates to around 6000 lbs. There is a load factor applied to this which then exceeds the weight of the Rivian. This ignores the drive aisles which also include the same 40psf live load. I wouldn’t even worry about a garage full of Rivians specifically.

While the design methodology has evolved, it is still not likely to be a problem in a properly designed and maintained parking structure of older designs (pre-2000). I haven’t looked at any of the collapses that have happened recently, but I think it would be more a widely spread problem if it was solely due to weight of EVs.

 

[WSea]

Yeaaaahhhhhh ?

Was thinking the same…5 stories up!

 

[R1Thor]

I'm a huge fan of practical testing to find actual limits based on theoretical calculations.

Who's in????

 

[Southern R1S]

F-250 curb weight tops out at 7,660lbs (heavier than a R1) and I've never seen or heard of any weight concerns with those being in parking decks (granted height is another story).

 

[SwampNut]

Many of the full size diesel trucks are about the same weight or even heavier than the R1T. Are they also prohibited?

 

[Stevetom84]

Structural Engineer here. I skimmed a few responses and let’s just say I’m not going to bother fact checking anyone, but there’s a lot of speculation in this thread that’s best ignored.

Modern parking garages should be able to handle a Rivian with no concern if they were properly designed. Code minimum design weight is 40 psf Live Load in addition to any other dead (self weight) loads of the building, a standard stall is 8.5’x19’ which equates to around 6000 lbs. There is a load factor applied to this which then exceeds the weight of the Rivian. This ignores the drive aisles which also include the same 40psf live load. I wouldn’t even worry about a garage full of Rivians specifically.

While the design methodology has evolved, it is still not likely to be a problem in a properly designed and maintained parking structure of older designs (pre-2000). I haven’t looked at any of the collapses that have happened recently, but I think it would be more a widely spread problem if it was solely due to weight of EVs.

Electrical engineer here and was about to comment similar on parking garage projects I've worked on. For example, I took a look at the structural drawings for a parking garage structure I recently worked on and it was designed for 40 pounds per square foot live load and 3,000 pound concentrated load (4.5" x 4.5" tire contact area).

I have no concern parking my R1T in a well maintained parking garage.

 

[Robin]

I drove over the scales at my local scrap yard recently. With just myself and some tools, the vehicle topped 7,400 lbs. But I know plenty of contractors who drive heavier vehicles, including vans full of tools >9,000 lbs. Seems like this is a small amount of legitimate concern mixed with a whole lot of "anti-EV hysteria". Are they going to make everyone who drives into their garage go over a scale? Or just singling EV owners out specifically? ?

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