Mechanical Stackers
Lowest cost per space. An attendant typically moves the upper car.
Double · Triple · Quad
See stackers
Systems
Four ways to fit more cars into less structure.
The right system is decided by three things: whether an attendant is acceptable, how much clear height you have, and how much you are willing to spend per space. Everything else follows from those.
Semi-Automated Puzzle
Independent access, no attendant. The configuration most often specified for multifamily.
2–7 levels7,000 lb
See puzzle systems
Fully Automated
The driver never enters the structure. Highest density, highest cost per space.
AGVRack & rail
See fully automated
Custom Systems
Turntables, VRCs, cladding, bicycle storage. When the site does not fit a catalogue.
Designed to site
See custom work
Compare
Side by side.
Cost per space is deliberately absent. It moves with site conditions, excavation and configuration, and a range wide enough to be honest is too wide to be useful. Run the TAPculator against your own site instead.
| Stackers | Puzzle | Fully automated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attendant required | Typically yes | No | No |
| Independent access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Driver enters structure | Yes | Yes, at the entry pallet | No |
| Levels | 2–4 | 2–7 + subterranean | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Minimum clear height | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] | 12′ – 45′ by level count | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Pit | Optional | Optional, 6′-10″ – 8′ | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Pallet rating | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] | 7,000 lb | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| EV charging | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] | Level 2, charger travels with pallet | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Indoor / outdoor | Both | Both | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Retrofit | Yes | Yes | [CLIENT TO PROVIDE] |
| Typical use | Surface lots, collectors, attended valet | Multifamily, office, hotel | High-density urban |
[CLIENT TO PROVIDE] — nine cells in this table
Only the puzzle column is fully populated, because it is the only system family with published dimensional data. Stacker and fully automated figures exist internally but are not on either site.
This is the highest-value content gap on the whole project: a comparison table with a third of its cells empty still converts better than no table, but a complete one would be the strongest page either company owns.
How to choose
Three questions, in order.
Can you live with an attendant?
If yes, stackers are the cheapest way to add spaces and can go indoors or out. If no — and in multifamily the answer is almost always no, because residents will not wait on a valet at 7 a.m. — the choice narrows to puzzle or fully automated.
How much clear height do you have?
Measured to the underside of the lowest obstruction, not the slab. 12′ gets you two levels of puzzle; 18′ gets you three; 42′ gets you seven. This single number eliminates more options than anything else on the list.
What is the land worth?
Fully automated costs the most per space and returns the most floor area, because no ramps, drive aisles or occupant circulation are needed inside the structure. Where land is expensive enough, that trade pays. Where it is not, puzzle usually wins.
Across every family
What can be added to any of them.
EV charging
Level 2 at 208–240 VAC, SAE J1772 with ISO 15118 capability, smart load management.
EV chargingBattery backup
For sites where a power interruption presents an operational risk.
Battery backupUL 508A controls
Every system runs on a control panel built in our own certified shop.
UL 508A panels24/7 monitoring
Included on semi-automated and fully automated installations.
MaintenanceGet started
Not sure which one fits?
Send the clear height you have and the parking count you need. An engineer will narrow it to one — or tell you none of them work on that site, which is worth knowing early.