American way look different when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety builds car-smashing the crash test system in the early 1990s. Backup cameras didn’t exist, air bag optional, and safety rules not killed yet headlights turn on. But perhaps the biggest difference is that cars are a lot less heavy – about a quarter lighter than today’s average vehicle.
Raul Arbelaez, who oversees crash tests at IIHS, has seen that change unfold over the course of his two-decade career, seeing sedans transform into “crossovers” and minivans. become SUV. This non-profit laboratory tests most of the popular cars on the market and its safety certification is coveted by automakers. But until recently, he had no reason to question whether the IIHS equipment was capable of hitting heavy vehicles. That reason is the Hummer EV.
At more than 9,000 pounds (4,000 kg), the electric SUV is about a third heavier than the heaviest vehicle IIHS has ever tested—another EV, the Rivian R1T—and more than twice as heavy as the average American car, which weighs about 4,000 pounds. So Arbelaez bought a couple of old, cheap pickups and began to concrete them to accommodate the weight of the Hummer. Despite the extra strain on the cables, the system held up well. The pickup truck exploded and a video of the test went viral.
To prepare for heavy-duty EVs like the electric Hummer, IIHS has crash-tested trucks filled with concrete.
But Arbelaez is still worried. The trucks and SUVs that have dominated U.S. roads over the past two decades have protected their own passengers particularly well. But many of the same qualities that help gauge a vehicle’s safety—including increased frame stiffness, size, and weight—also make them a threat to others. Vehicle safety standards primarily reflect the safety of the occupants of the vehicle, not those outside. And despite improvements in safety technology and automotive design, heavier vehicles have contributed to an increase in road deaths in recent years, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. U.S. National Highways—especially for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers of smaller vehicles. Now, EVs are going beyond the scale even further. They often combine the massive size of super-large SUVs with a battery that weighs as much as a small sedan. Oh, and also brilliant acceleration.
When WIRED brought that up to General Motors, spokesman Michael Farah pointed to data linking pedestrian deaths to factors like deteriorating pedestrian infrastructure, speeding and driving. and drunk. (The similar research Note that SUV deaths are growing faster than cars, and that crashes involving heavy vehicles are often more serious.) The company also points to Hummer’s safety features, such as the brake system increased in size and the collision avoidance system.
But Arbelaez is not alone in his concerns. Last month, in a speech to fellow safety experts, Jennifer Homendy, head of the US National Transportation Safety Board, specifically addressed the “unforeseen consequences” of electric vehicles—not just the Hummer, but Volvos, Fords, and Toyotas as well. Electric vehicles, which add thousands of pounds in weight compared to conventional cars. similar size. “That has a significant impact on safety for all road users,” she said.
It is a difficult balance. Both Homendy and Arbelaez say they are excited about electric cars and care deeply about tackling climate change. But unless automakers or regulators find a way to reduce vehicle weight, they also fear the direct consequences of size inflation will continue unabated: that the only way to feel secure To be safe on roads with big cars is to barricade yourself in one of your own.
WIRED: So you crashed into some really heavy vehicles. Why?
