Electric automobiles are heavier than their combustion-powered counterparts. The large battery packs these automobiles require are hefty items of kit that sit within the ground and decrease a automobile’s middle of gravity. This may enhance dealing with, but it surely may current a problem for the prevailing highway security infrastructure if current assessments are any indication.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln not too long ago catapulted a Rivian R1T electrical pickup truck at a typical metal guardrail at 60 miles per hour to see the way it’d maintain up. It didn’t.
The scary footage reveals the hefty Rivian blasting via the metal guardrail as if it wasn’t even there, ripping it aside. The electrical pickup nonetheless had sufficient momentum to then vault over a concrete barrier located behind the guardrail.
The college additionally examined a Tesla Model 3, and the barrier additionally didn’t cease the sedan. The Model 3 lifted the guardrail, passing beneath it. Additional crash assessments are deliberate towards the Midwest Guardrail System, which has been examined with automobiles that weigh as much as 5,000 kilos, a weight ranking many EVs exceed.
The Rivian R1T suggestions the scales at simply over 7,000 lbs. The Ford F-150 Lightning, whereas lighter, weighs over 6,000 lbs. The Hummer EV is heavier at over 9,000 lbs, however even smaller EVs just like the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan break the 5,000-lbs mark.
The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center is sponsoring the analysis effort on the college. Not solely is the testing getting used to enhance our highway security infrastructure, however the Army can be evaluating how finest to guard navy installations and different delicate authorities websites from hostile actors who may use a hefty EV to bypass safety measures.
More than 100,000 automobiles undergo from run-off crashes yearly. With extra EVs hitting the highway, we’re sure to see points rise with the security infrastructure. These assessments will assist inform states about how finest to guard light-weight gas-powered vehicles and heavy EVs on the similar time.