A design vehicle is the representative vehicle, defined by length, width, height and turning path, that designers use to size parking stalls, aisles, ramps and turns.
No single car is typical, so designers choose a vehicle that covers most of the expected fleet. Parking design guidance has long used a large passenger vehicle near the upper end of the fleet for stall and aisle dimensions, and checks turns and ramps with larger vehicles such as pickups, vans and delivery trucks. As the U.S. fleet has shifted toward SUVs and pickups, many designers have moved their design vehicle up. See sport utility vehicle.
What it controls
- Stall width and length, and aisle width. See parking module.
- Turning radii at ends of aisles and on ramps. See AutoTURN.
- Clear height, especially for vans and accessible spaces. See accessible parking.
- Ramp transitions and break-over angles.
Other design vehicles
- Fire apparatus and refuse trucks for access roads.
- Delivery vans for loading zones.
- Standard highway design vehicles from AASHTO.
The Parkonomics view
A garage is designed for the fleet of its opening year and used by the fleet of the next fifty. Choosing a slightly bigger design vehicle is cheap insurance.
Related terms: Parking Geometry, Parking Module, Sport Utility Vehicle, Break-Over Angle, AutoTURN, Anthropometric Data, Right-Speeding, Driving Simulation Software