The Weighty Issue: Heavy EVs Challenge America’s Road Safety

The automotive landscape is shifting, and with it comes a hefty challenge—literally. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs), celebrated for their eco-friendliness, has brought an unintended consequence: their significant weight. This has sparked concerns about the adequacy of America’s guardrail systems, which may not be robust enough to handle the heft of modern EVs, posing potential risks to both civilians and the military.

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Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have put these concerns to the test, quite dramatically. In a controlled crash test, a Rivian R1T pickup, tipping the scales at around 7,000 lbs, was driven into a guardrail at 60 mph. The result was startling—the truck plowed through the barrier with barely a reduction in speed. This isn’t just about the Rivian; a Tesla Model 3 also demonstrated alarming behavior in a similar test, lifting the guardrail and sliding underneath it.

The issue isn’t confined to the sheer weight of these vehicles, which can be up to 50 percent heavier than their gas-powered counterparts. EVs also have lower centers of gravity, leading to unexpected behaviors that could catch guardrail designers off-guard. Cody Stolle, assistant director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, stating, “As the percentage of EVs on the road increases, the proportion of run-off-road crashes involving EVs will increase, as well.”

Blue and Red Freight Truck on Road — Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels

The implications of these findings are far-reaching. Annually, run-off-road crashes account for thousands of fatalities on American highways. Given that EVs are involved in these accidents at comparable rates and speeds as internal combustion vehicles, they could exert significantly more energy on roadside barriers, potentially leading to more severe outcomes.

The U.S. military shares these safety concerns, viewing them through the lens of national security. The fear is that EVs could be weaponized to breach barriers protecting sensitive locations. Genevieve Pezzola, a civil engineering researcher at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, highlighted the importance of understanding any potential risks to the nation’s security measures.

For highway designers, the solution isn’t as straightforward as simply strengthening barriers. A balance must be struck where barriers are robust enough to stop a 7,000-pound EV without being so rigid as to cause excessive damage to lighter vehicles. Stolle explains that this is the reason behind the university’s testing: to gather the necessary data to design new systems that can be evaluated and confirmed through full-scale crash testing.

The road ahead is clear: as EVs continue to gain traction, the infrastructure must evolve to ensure safety for all road users. It’s a complex challenge, but one that must be met with innovation and urgency. The tests conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln serve as a critical first step towards a safer future on the roads, where the benefits of electric vehicles can be enjoyed without compromising the safety of the public and the security of the nation.