Why the ‘significant’ weight of electric vehicles is sparking new safety fears

Electric vehicles are under increasing scrutiny from safety experts over the risks they pose in a crash, because of their incredible weight and power.EVs are far heavier than traditional gas-powered cars due to their large battery packs.“The weight of these vehicles, and the weight of these battery packs in these vehicles, is quite significant,” said Raul Arbelaez of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.Personal vehicles have never been as heavy as the EVs being sold today.

The newest models of electric SUVs and pick-up trucks have raised particular concerns.At a recent conference in Washington, D.C., Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the U.S.

National Transportation Safety Board, called attention to G.M.’s 4,000-kilogram electric Hummer.“The battery pack weighs almost the same as an entire Honda Civic,” Homendy said.Homendy said electric models from Ford, Volvo and Toyota were all roughly 33 per cent heavier than the gas-powered versions of the same vehicles.“I am concerned about the increased risk of severe injury and death to all road users from heavier curb weights,” she said.Global News was invited to witness an EV crash test at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Ruckersville, Va.

The test involved a 3,300-kilogram Rivian R1S electric SUV. One-third of the vehicle’s weight was from its battery pack.During the demonstration, the Rivian, with two test dummies, was catapulted down a 200-metre track at 64 km/hr, before colliding with a wall.