Carrefour has restricted electric vehicles from parking on upper floors in some of its older stores, citing structural and fire safety risks. The move highlights the growing tension between green mobility and aging infrastructure.
Carrefour has introduced a controversial policy in several of its older hypermarkets, barring electric vehicles from parking on elevated levels and directing them exclusively to ground-floor spaces. The decision, already in effect at select Belgian locations, is not a blanket ban on electric cars but a targeted restriction based on the age and design of the buildings.
The company points to two main reasons for the change: structural safety and fire prevention. Lithium-ion batteries make electric cars significantly heavier—by about 30%—than their petrol or diesel counterparts. This extra weight, when concentrated on upper decks built decades ago, could push the limits of what those structures were designed to bear. Carrefour’s management says the measure is a direct response to engineering assessments and a desire to avoid long-term fatigue or potential failures in older concrete slabs.
Lithium-ion batteries make electric cars roughly 30% heavier than comparable petrol or diesel vehicles, a factor engineers say old parking structures were never designed to handle.
Fire risk is the second pillar of the policy. If a battery fire were to break out on an upper parking level, extinguishing it would be far more complex than a typical car fire. Electric vehicle batteries require much more water to cool, and the limited height and access in older parking structures make it difficult for fire crews to intervene quickly. This raises the risk of a blaze spreading to the rest of the building, a scenario Carrefour is determined to avoid.
The move has sparked debate across the retail and mobility sectors, exposing a lack of unified standards among major supermarket chains. While Carrefour Belgium has implemented these restrictions, the company’s French division has publicly rejected similar measures, arguing that its stores are newer, structurally reinforced, and equipped to handle the increased weight of electric vehicles. French management also emphasizes their commitment to clean mobility, pointing to hundreds of fast-charging stations installed in their car parks.
Some experts, however, question whether the weight difference alone justifies such restrictions. Sector studies suggest that many modern combustion SUVs and large vehicles are as heavy—or even heavier—than compact electric cars. This has led some engineers to argue that the real issue may be the maintenance and condition of older buildings, rather than the type of vehicle parked inside.
Carrefour’s decision is not an isolated case. In several European cities, including some private car parks in central Madrid, signs have appeared banning electric vehicles on the grounds of battery fire risk. This trend is creating legal friction, as regulations in many countries require a certain percentage of parking spaces to be equipped with EV chargers—directly conflicting with outright bans.
The tension between the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and the limitations of existing infrastructure is becoming increasingly visible. As noted in a recent analysis of political rhetoric around electric cars, such as Donald Trump’s public criticism of EV owners (see this report), the debate is not just technical but also cultural and regulatory.
For now, Carrefour’s approach highlights a growing gap between the ambitions of Europe’s green transition and the physical realities of its aging commercial buildings. Operators face a choice: invest in costly structural upgrades or maintain restrictions that complicate life for electric car drivers. As electric mobility continues to expand, the pressure to modernize infrastructure—or rethink parking policies—will only intensify.
