US Transportation Official Warns on Weight of Electric Vehicles

US Transportation Official Warns on Weight of Electric Vehicles

As electric vehicles become more popular in the United States, a government safety expert is expressing concern about the automobiles².

Jennifer Homendy runs the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB. In a recent speech, she noted³ that manufacturers are making electric cars heavier and heavier.

This is a problem in crashes with lighter⁴, traditional cars.

She gave the example of one large vehicle called a Hummer. The automobile's design is based on military vehicles. The new electric Hummer weighs about 4,000 kilograms. The battery that powers it weighs 1,300 kilograms. The battery alone is heavier than the Honda Civic⁵, a small Japanese car with a traditional engine.

Homendy said she is worried about "increased risk of severe injury and death for all road users." She noted the size and power of the newer vehicles.

The electric vehicles need large, heavy batteries in order to travel the longer distances many drivers seek. Experts say it will take years to develop smaller batteries that provide the same result.

Homendy said she is pleased that President Joe Biden wants to reduce the number of vehicles that harm the environment. But she is still concerned about the risk from heavy vehicles.

"We have to be careful that we aren't also creating unintended consequences," she said.

Some of the new electric vehicles that are expected to be popular include Ford's F-150 truck and Mustang Mach E. She said they are hundreds of kilograms heavier than their gasoline-powered versions.

The NTSB investigates accidents but does not make rules. New rules must come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Michael Brooks⁶ runs the Center for Auto¹ Safety. He has the same concerns as Homendy. He said there has been little research about the growing weight of electric vehicles. He pointed⁷ to a 2011 study that showed a crash including a vehicle with about 500 extra kilograms increased the chances of death by 47 percent.

That study does not take into account design changes that make it hard to see from the new electric vehicles. He also said the electric vehicles can reach top speed faster than gas-powered cars.

"These bigger, heavier batteries are going to cause more damage," Brooks said. "It's a simple matter of mass and speed."

The number of electric vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2022 rose by almost 65 percent compared to the year before. They now make up nearly six percent of new vehicles on the road. The number of vehicles with heavy batteries will only grow. Biden's administration wants electric vehicles to be 50 percent of all new vehicles sold by 2030.

Words in This Story

battery –n. a storage device for electrical power

unintended –adj. not on purpose

 

consequence –n. something that happens after a prior action

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

5 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

6 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。