A recent series of electric vehicle crash tests conducted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility was featured in a Sept. 18 CBS News story. The first-of-their-kind tests suggest that current guardrails and traffic barriers are ill-equipped to handle electric vehicles, which tend to be heavier and have a lower center of gravity than their gas-powered counterparts.
On July 1, researchers crashed a 7,000-pound electric pickup at 62 mph into concrete barriers commonly used as freeway medians, CBS News reported. The barriers contained the collision, but chunks of concrete were sent flying and several of the 5,000-pound barriers were pushed back 10 feet — 50% more than normal.
“Unfortunately, these guardrail systems, which have performed very well with gasoline vehicles historically, do not appear to be containing electric vehicles when impacting (with) similar types of conditions,” said Cody Stolle, research assistant professor with the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility.
Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, who observed the July 1 crash test, said there needs to be greater awareness regarding current standards for guardrails and barriers to encourage further research.
“It was eye-opening,” she said. “There was a lot of damage. And again, if there would’ve been vehicles on the other side of that barrier, we would’ve seen a severe accident.”
A similar story on Nebraska’s EV crash tests appeared Sept. 12 on Kansas City, Missouri’s KCTV. Ronald Faller, MwRSF director, was interviewed for that story.
Learn more about the crash test research.
Learn more about the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility.
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