Helsinki resident discovers parking limitations for electric vehicles in Maunula

Helsinki resident Petri Ojamies switched to an all-electric car over a year ago and made a surprising discovery regarding the parking facility of his local grocery store in Maunula, Helsinki. “A few times, I drove my new car here to the store’s parking lot. I hadn’t even thought about weight limits when driving a passenger car. But I can’t drive my new car here since its weight is nearly 2.4 tons,” Ojamies explained.

The parking facility was built in 2014 and has a weight limit of 2,000 kilograms per vehicle. Ojamies’ car exceeds this limit. “I want to obey traffic signs. I will not drive my car into parking spaces where it exceeds the weight limit,” he added.

As car weights have increased significantly in recent years, particularly for fully electric vehicles, maintaining awareness of weight limits has become essential. The Environmental Ministry has set a maximum weight limit of 3,000 kilograms per vehicle since 2016. However, some parking facilities in Finland impose a weight restriction of only 1,800 kilograms.

Last year, one in five new cars sold in the EU was electric. In 2023, the best-selling vehicle in Europe was the all-electric Tesla Model Y, which weighs 2,054 kilograms. Heavy cars are not exclusive to electric models; for comparison, a Volvo XC90 with an internal combustion engine weighs 2,100 kilograms.

Risto Levanto, Vantaa’s chief building inspector, commented on the implications of exceeding weight limits in parking structures, noting that while a few heavier vehicles typically won’t cause issues, significant overload could lead to structural damage. He anticipates potential changes to weight regulations should the proportion of heavier cars continue to rise.