Electric cars have long been promoted and advertised as the saviors of the roads. Normally, this is in relation to fuel consumption and C02 emissions. Electric vehicles produce zero C02 and aren’t powered by gas, keeping the roads cleaner, the air clearer, and the environment healthier.
However, recent reports have suggested another way that electric vehicles are saving the roads. Aside from the environmental benefits of going electric, experts suggest that the design of electric cars makes them inherently safer than normal ones.
For the sake of argument, ‘normal’ cars are traditional cars that run using a combustion engine and need gasoline to function.
While the environmental benefits of EVs are clear for all to see, it’s harder to understand why they are apparently safer. What is it about the way electric cars are made that means they are safer for people to drive? Well, the experts pinpoint three major factors:
A lower center of gravity
One of the key design elements of electric vehicles is that they tend to position the batteries lower down in the vehicle. In fact, some cars will have the battery under the floor, which greatly lowers the center of gravity. Because there is no internal combustion engine, it is easier to balance the car to achieve this low center of gravity – but why does this make them safer?
Well, the lower the center of gravity, the harder it is to roll a car over. To put some perspective on this, Tesla claims that its Model S EV is 50% better than other top vehicles in a rollover test. When an electric vehicle crashes, the design of the car makes it harder to topple over, which can save the people inside from serious injuries.
This is seriously important, as it can be the difference between you walking away with a dent in your car or you calling up some top car accident lawyers to gain compensation for medical bills after spending weeks in hospital. Furthermore, the safety benefits of a low center of gravity are enhanced when you take the next point into account as well.
Better energy absorption in a crash
When you crash a car, so much energy needs to be absorbed upon impact. In fact, cars are designed to have crumple zones, which are areas where the car is designed to absorb energy and crumple, dissipating said energy instead of taking it all head-on. If cars were built to be sturdy and not crumple, they would send such high levels of shock absorption to the passengers that it could be insanely dangerous.
In normal cars, the internal combustion engine at the front of the car is not in the best possible position to transfer energy. It is so rigid and large that a lot of the energy still gets transferred behind it. Thankfully, cars are designed with this in mind, so features like airbags and crumple zones work to reduce the impact this has on passengers – to an extent.
Interestingly, electric cars don’t have large combustion engines that are really rigid. Instead, they have batteries and motors that are designed to deform and absorb energy during a crash. In simple terms, the design of an electric vehicle means it can absorb and transfer energy in a crash, preventing serious damages from occurring to the vehicle and passengers.
A lack of flammable gasoline
Finally, there’s one crucial element of an EV that greatly reduces the risk of catastrophe in a car crash. Yes, they don’t contain any gasoline, which can easily leak and catch fire during a crash. Indeed, you have probably seen horror stories of cars on fire after exploding during a crash. This is because the gasoline has ignited, but this can’t happen in an EV.
Therefore, you minimize the fire risks when driving an electric vehicle. Yes, lithium-ion batteries (which all EV cars have) are flammable and can catch fire. However, research shows that they are far less flammable and dangerous than gasoline. For one, if the batteries catch fire the fire stays confined to that area of the car and can be put out before spreading. With gasoline, it can leak along the road and potentially cause a fire hazard to other drivers. It is also harder to stop gasoline fires from spreading to different parts of the car as they burn a lot harder and faster.
In summary, electric cars are technically safer than traditional ones. Of course, much depends on the car itself and the driver. But, if you were to look at the design of electric and normal cars, EVs certainly have some key features that reduce the risks when driving.