As electric vehicles continue to perfuse into the automotive landscape, a major concern among consumers is the question of safety. Usually, the conversation centers around the technologies and driving range associated with EVs, but some agencies, including the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have begun to sound the alarm about increasing vehicle weights.
According to a report from Reuters, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy commented on the increased risk of injury or death due to heavy vehicles, saying that the a heavier weight “has a significant impact on safety for all road users. We have to be careful that we aren’t also creating unintended consequences: more death on our roads.”
Homendy pointed to the GMC Hummer EV Pickup and Ford F-150 Lightning as prime examples of increased vehicle weights among electric vehicles. The Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 weighs in at over 9,000 pounds, while the ICE-powered 2023 GMC Sierra HD and 2023 Sierra 1500 weigh up to 8,355 and 5,540 pounds, respectively. As is evident, there is a substantial discrepancy between the EV and ICE vehicles.
It’s more of the same story in regards to the F-150 Lightning. Ford’s all-electric pickup tops out at 6,893 pounds in Platinum trim, while the ICE-powered 2023 F-150 and 2023 Super Duty can weigh up to 5,540 and 8,587 pounds, respectively.
In response to concerns surrounding increasing vehicle weights, GM said “safety is at the cornerstone at everything we do. All GM vehicles are engineered to meet or exceed all applicable motor vehicle safety standards.”
Ford did not immediately comment regarding safety concerns.
It’s worth noting that GM is set to launch a slew of electric vehicle in the near and far future, including the Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, GMC Hummer EV SUV, Cadillac Escalade IQ and Cadillac Escalade IQL. While official weight figures have not yet been released for these upcoming EVs, they all share the same GM BT1 platform with the Hummer EV Pickup. As a result, all the aforementioned electric vehicles will be pretty heavy, depending on battery pack size.
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Comments
Don’t exactly know what they want since this is the technology we have today. Either people drive gas trucks that produce carbon and NOx gases or they drive EVs that are incredibly heavy and can pose a serious threat to other passenger vehicles. We live in a world of tradeoffs and can’t please everyone at once.
Unlike EVs gas cars weigh a lot less and are safer in a crash.
I think I have a lot less chance of dying from vehicle exhausts than I have of dying by being hit by a 10,000 lb vehicle.
For his birthday my brother who weighs 400 pounds.. wants a Hummer EV. problem is he will need a stepladder to get in it. He all ready ripped the a$$ out of his pants trying to get in one.. After the test drive we went to Fat Bastards restaurant. I told him he would have to lose weight to be able to get in the Hummer. After eating 4 full size buritoes I bought him a hat. It says Fat Bastard on it…Hopefully now that I am broke he will forget about the Hummbug
Homendy won’t be at the NTSB much longer.
As more people begin to drive EV’s, the physics will balance out again.
There was the same concern when automobiles started replacing horse and buggies.
Why do you think the brake calipers and disks are so big?
If EVs are heavier I’d rather be in one if there is an accident.
Four and a half ton ” lite vehicle “, is this an oxymoron or what? That much weight at speed with it’s small size is a study in force applied force resisted. I hope the brake hardware has been triple designed. Also tire design considerations.
I hope GM has doubled design parameters.
4.5 tons off road on a trail in Moab, Utah, my are we stretching 😳 it a bit. Get an industrial winch for the front.
Iets see what happens when gas and battery’s crash together. Guess there is also going to be a lot of environmental corrosive acid mounds . Brought to you by Tesla and all their lap dogs
Eh.. Global warming is going to kill us all anyways.
I remember when “tall pickup trucks” were to be feared – the ones with wide offset wheels/tires, lifted suspensions, etc. Media would jump on any accident involving one of those trucks and a lessor vehicle. Just like when SUVs hit the market. Disparity in weights & hights between vehicles has always been an issue. Next we will see media blasts of EVs versus ICEs vehicles. After a while no one will give it a 2nd thought, and people will continue to drive what they want without regard to others – the key is to be careful with whatever you are driving – if there is no accident, there is no issue.
DUH! We’ve been saying that for a long time on this site. Their owners liability insurance will reflect that as well since they will cause more damage and injury in collisions.
Not more than heavy trucks. They are all heavy and have been for decades. Wake up.
ICE Trucks already pay more, all EVs will as well.
I think you’re underestimating what they are talking about here.
The Hummer EV for example, weighs as much as a semi tractor and gets 0-60 in like 3 seconds.
Now think about the average idiot you see on the road in his pickup truck. That’s the problem.
Safety in collisions with hefty vehicles is a concern of course. What about the effects of the increased weight on the roads and bridges? And the owners of EV’s complain about having to pay a tax equivalent to the usage tax of ICE vehicles! They need to contribute to the maintenance of the highways like we all do.
Funny no one mentioned the very heavy trucks that fill our roads daily. Many of them speed and drive with phones in
their hands. Not much left when they crash into you while being distracted. YOU TUBE is full of truck crashes with cars.
Mark H says it best ” the key is to be careful “.
This one from Britain:
“Look what you have done” .Three lives lost.
Those “heavy” trucks already pay more in their heavy weight plate registrations, all EVs should pay more as well due to increased weight.
Who could of seen this coming a 5 ton ev hits a compact and it is carnage.
Any of my neighbors get one I may drop a dime on them weight limit 3 tons.
Another STUNNING revalation about these EVs being shoved down our throats by the likes of Queen maryb & her clueless Court in that Ivory Tower in Detroit. Can’t wait to view the daily EV vs ICE carnage report on the nightly local news. But that’s one of the main goals of all these globalist “climate change” fanatics, reduce the world population as quick as possible. The death & destruction on the roadways, ah that’s just collateral damage to the main objective.
Well EVs have been around for quite a while. Some accidents yes but not total destruction. More accidents by ICE cars driven by idiots who shouldn’t have a license. Just watch idiots in cars on You Tube. In the US you have many people who drive drunk without a license or any kind of registration. Like guns it’s the wild west.
This whole thing was not well thought out. What a mess. Lead by politicians.
What does a semi truck weigh? 80,000 pounds???
Probably, yeah. What is your point though?
Crush zones are what matters. Vehicles are not pool balls with elastic collisions. Test your theories to know the answers in G force.
One fundamental principle in all this at the time of the impact: MOMENTUM= mass x speed
Just glance in YouTube on what would happen if a High Speed Train (like the ones in Europe or Korea) going at close to 200MPH hits a “whatever is on its way”. Name it a semi truck, a pedestrian, a regular car.
Several decades ago, my uncle, who worked in Alstom, the company that builds the TGV (Train Grand Vitesse) showed me a picture of what was left of a person that committed suicide and believe me, all it was marked on the train locomotive was a red splash (just like if someone had thrown 10 tomatoes into the train). To understand: there was NOTHING left.
Collision physics is taught incorrectly in high school as two pool balls colliding when the crash between two vehicles is more about the crush zones of the impact area. The Alstom train has zero crush zone and they operate at ground level instead of safely up high above roads and sidewalks. There have been proposed train cars that gently move suicide persons to the side of slower train engines. Yes the final combined speed of two crashing vehicles is biased toward the heavier offending vehicle but what mostly matters is the G forces on the neck area of the occupants. Healthy humans have taken 46.2 Gs So a crush zone that elongates the crash to say 1.4 seconds will go a long way to understanding survivability. ref — “Dr. John Paul Stapp earned the title “The Fastest Man Alive” when he rode the Sonic Wind I rocket-propelled sled on December 10, 1954, to a land record speed of 632 mph in five seconds. He sustained the greatest G-forces endured by man in recorded deceleration tests up to that time, 46.2 Gs when the sled stopped in 1.4 seconds.” Longer crush zones! Our EV is light so this topic does not apply to all EVs. They are not all the same.
Joe is not going to charge them any kind of road tax for a long, long, long time!!! He doesn’t want to kill any kind of forward sales motion that EV’s have.. That’s why the $$$$7,500 Rebate taxpayers are forking over hard earned cash for!!
Nobody should be paying for an EV except the purchaser!!!!! NOBODY!!!
Road tax is collected by the states, and a lot of them are already adding that to EV registration, since they can’t get them with the gas tax.
As for Joe, he’s got less than two years. Assuming he makes it.