How to make electric vehicles safer?
2021-10-21 14:23
Electric vehicles have emerged, and they are essential for decarbonizing transportation. This is good news for investment in electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles have emerged, and they are essential for decarbonizing transportation. This is good news for investment in electric vehicles.
Blake Shaffer of the University of Calgary and co-authors Maximilian Auffhammer and Constantine Samaras wrote in Nature: In our opinion, one that has received little attention The problem is the increase in vehicle weight.
Pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) now account for 57% of U.S. sales, up from 30% in 1990. The weight of new cars sold in the United States has also increased-since 1990, cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks have increased by 12% (173 kg), 7% (136 kg), and 32% (573 kg), respectively. There is a similar trend in other parts of the world, where the weight of electric vehicles has increased. Petroleum is replaced by bulky batteries, and the rest of the vehicle must also become heavier to provide the necessary structural support.
Please note that this is a serious problem, first of all safety: heavier vehicles are more dangerous. In a 2013 study, co-author Auffhammer found that "being hit by a 1,000-pound vehicle can increase the risk of death by 40-50%."
Take the new Ford F-150 Lightning as an example: it is 1,500 pounds heavier than the gasoline version due to the battery. The calculation of the value of the carbon saved by electric vehicles shows that the increase in truck weight is "comparable to climate benefits." Weight is very important. If the weight problem is not solved, the benefits of electric vehicles to society will be smaller than in the next ten years.
Due to tire wear, heavy vehicles produce more particulate pollution, and they require more materials to manufacture. We have noticed that these materials contain large amounts of embodied carbon or pre-carbon, instead of mentioning more electricity to fill. Those big batteries.
Shaffer and his co-authors provided many suggestions for policymakers and manufacturers.
Taxation of heavy vehicles. Charging by vehicle weight may prevent the purchase of heavy vehicles. Changing such charges by weight will maintain revenue, while incentivizing people to choose more energy-efficient vehicles with lower social costs. It will also reduce other emissions during material production and manufacturing.
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