When electric cars started to become popular many people were concerned about the safety of driving whilst sat atop high-voltage batteries. They needn’t have worried, though, because modern cars EV or not are pretty well-equipped to handle impacts.
It’s also worth noting that while EVs might contain lots of potentially dangerous electronics, there are safety systems in place to prevent these circuits from causing a danger to people. All high voltage lines are sheathed in bright orange cable housing too. If you’ve ever looked under an EV and seen orange cables, that’s why; it’s best not to mess around with them.
Check out this video from car safety testers Euro NCAP as they smash a Volkswagen ID.3 into all manner of objects to put it to the test. It’s a pretty good example of how a well-designed car, by today’s standards, performs in standard crash testing.
The ID.3 performs very well in all tests getting the maximum five-star rating from the testers.
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Electric vehicles present designers and safety engineers with new opportunities as well.
As battery packs are mounted low to the ground, this gives EVs a low center of gravity and dramatically reduces the chance of them flipping over in a crash. The lack of an engine block also lets designers play with the bonnet shape and front-end crumple zones to make the car slightly safer for pedestrians and passengers alike.
SHIFT is brought to you by Polestar. It’s time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility. That is why Polestar combines electric driving with cutting-edge design and thrilling performance. Find out how.
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