EVs in a crash

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Tue 19 Jan 2021 17:41
EVs in a crash - Andrew-T

Thinking about the evolution of crumple zones, side-impact bars etc, I started wondering what effect the large heavy battery of an EV has, compared with a traditional fuelled vehicle where the main mass is nearly always at the front. Is an EV's battery where a fuel tank would normally be - and if so, is it not going to cause chaos if a car meets a stationary object ?

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Tue 19 Jan 2021 17:52
EVs in a crash - RT

Generally the battery is under the floor between the front-rear wheel arches - they have a lower CoG than IC cars so would cause damage lower down on the IC car, an area where they're fairly strong

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Tue 19 Jan 2021 18:07
EVs in a crash - 2010Jagman

Depends a lot on if the car is designed as an EV like a Tesla and has a battery under the floor or if it has been an ICE vehicle when originally designed and then modified to be an EV.

without the bulky engine and emissions kit in the front there is a huge space for additional crumple zones / storage area.

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Tue 19 Jan 2021 20:24
EVs in a crash - Steveieb

From what I have heard from firemen attending accidents involving EV s and hybrids their main concern is batteries which contain electrolyte with the consistency of wallpaper paste escaping and getting in contact with the occupants.

Cant see many firemen owning them !

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Wed 20 Jan 2021 09:33
EVs in a crash - mcb100
I’d suspect there’s less chance of a heavily reinforced battery rupturing than an injection moulded plastic petrol tank.
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Wed 20 Jan 2021 14:09
EVs in a crash - Terry W

AIUI there are some additional requirements to be met with EVs related to batteries and insulation etc which are clearly not relevant in ICE. Equally in a pure EV, fuel tank rupture would not be an issue.

I assume new EV designs go through crash testing etc in precisely the same way as ICE. The alternative to formal crash testing to agreed standards is to make ill informed guesses.

The big risk must be with converted existing ICE designs - I am not sure whether further testing is required if much of the structure and internal fittings are largely unchanged.

A personal view - conversion of existing designs is likely to be temporary and compromised. If buying an EV I would prefer a design optimised for its powertrain, not one that is almost certainly inherently flawed.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?