Copenhagen Consensus Chairman Björn Lomborg talks about promoting electric vehicles and its huge impact on the US
A new study from the University of Nebraska shows that the nation’s guardrails are ill-equipped to handle electric vehicles, which are thousands of pounds heavier than the average gasoline-powered sedan.
engineer university The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility conducted a crash test between an electric pickup truck and a Tesla sedan that hurtled toward a guardrail. This same type was found on tens of thousands of miles of roads across the country.
reportA paper published Wednesday concluded that the nation’s guardrails are not built to handle vehicles weighing more than 5,000 pounds.
A 2022 Rivian R1T will be used for crash test research by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Development Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility on October 12, 2023 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (University of Nebraska/FOX News)
The results come as transport authorities are sounding the alarm over the weight difference between new battery-powered vehicles and lightweight gasoline-powered vehicles. Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board expressed concern about the safety risks posed when large electric vehicles collide with lighter vehicles.
Electric buses are sitting unused in cities across the United States.The reason is as follows
Road safety authorities and groups say electric cars themselves appear to offer good protection for occupants, even though they may be dangerous for occupants of lighter vehicles. Stoll said a Rivian truck tested in Nebraska showed little damage inside the cab after hitting a concrete barrier.
The extra weight of electric cars comes from the larger batteries needed to achieve around 300 miles of range on a single charge. The battery itself weighs about the same as a small gasoline car. Electric cars typically weigh 20% to 50% more than gas-powered cars and have a lower center of gravity.
File photo: Rivian R1T electric truck outside Munro & Associates headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, June 3, 2022.REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File photo (Reuters/Rebecca Cook/File Photo/Reuters Photo)
Concerns about the weight of EVs extend beyond collisions between vehicles and compatibility with guardrails. The extra weight affects everything from increased wear on residential streets and driveways to infrastructure like vehicle tires and parking lots.
“Many of these parking lots are built to accommodate vehicles that weigh between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds, not 10,000 pounds,” Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, told The Associated Press. “It was,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
“What really needs to happen is more collaboration between transportation engineers and automakers,” Brooks said. “That’s where we might see real change.”
