Electric Vehicles are currently the best plan for offering an alternative to gas-powered vehicles. The transition to electric vehicles is seen by many as a way to help combat climate change but what happens when the law of unintended consequences comes into play. It turns out that some of the news relating to this transition is not good news. There is at least one large safety concern associated with EVs that has finally started to gain attention.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently highlighted how the weight of EVs could be a potentially deadly problem. Jennifer Homendy, the head of the NTSB, recently discussed on NPR how the weight of electric vehicles could result in more dangerous and deadly accidents. Homendy was speaking in general terms but specifically called out the enormous weight of the GM Hummer EV. At 9,000 pounds, the electric Hummer is exceptionally heavy even by EV standards. If the Hummer EV were to be in a crash with a smaller vehicle, the Hummer would likely cause severe, possibly even deadly damage.
This issue with electric vehicle weight is inevitable due to the weight of batteries. EV batteries often weigh thousands of pounds for cars to travel distances of 300 miles or more on a single charge. EV’s with less range aren’t currently marketable so until technology allows for smaller batteries that provide greater distances for drivers, these EVs are likely going to continue to be heavy. Homendy highlighted when electric vehicles are compared to similar gas-powered models, the EVs are still considerably heavier. For example, Ford sells an internal combustion engine F-150 pickup as well as the electric F-150 Lightning. The electric version of this truck is at least 2,000 pounds heavier due in large part to battery weight.
While EV weight as a result of batteries is a serious safety concern, heavy gas-powered cars also pose a problem. In recent years, bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs have increased in popularity at a faster rate than small cars. While the Hummer EV crash may be an extreme example of what could happen when a heavy car and a light car collide, it’s still dangerous for a gas-powered SUV to collide with a smaller car. The NPR article states that when one vehicle in a crash is 1,000 pounds heavier than the other, it drastically increases the chances that the accident results in a fatality. This means that even though the weight of electric vehicles is a problem, the weight of cars, in general, is also a potential safety problem.
What can be done about this? Since one of the safety concerns with EVs is battery weight, the most effective solution would be for manufacturers to find ways to create lighter batteries. This could significantly reduce the weight of EVs. Developing such technology will be a challenge. Until that breakthrough happens the batteries create a dilemma. Larger batteries are necessary for longer ranges. It’s unlikely drivers will choose smaller batteries with less range for their needs.
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