The Actual Reason Guardrails Fail to Prevent EVs from Crashing

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      You often hear that the obesity crisis isn't confined to humans. Vehicles—particularly electric ones—are becoming excessively large and heavy, posing risks to our infrastructure. So, when a clip featuring a 7,173-pound Rivian R1T crashing through a highway safety barrier went viral, it was no surprise that the ensuing discussions centered on its massive weight. But is that the complete picture? Certainly not. That’s the essence of a teaser, isn’t it?

      The truth is, weight alone doesn't tell the whole story. On a general scale, yes, vehicles have been increasing in weight. However, trucks and SUVs aren’t significantly larger than their counterparts from decades past, and even substantial EVs like the Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer EV, and Tesla Cybertruck don’t weigh much more than some well-equipped heavy-duty pickups (for instance, the F-350 Platinum I drove a few months ago was likely a 7,600-pound vehicle). So if weight isn’t the core problem, what makes it challenging to create a standardized guardrail?

      According to experts in the field, the challenge is essentially twofold. First, while passenger cars aren't becoming significantly heavier in design, the influence of heavier trucks skews the averages, complicating the development of a universally applicable barrier.

      Cody Stolle, assistant director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, states that testing involves vehicles weighing from about 2,400 pounds (subcompacts) to about 5,000 pounds (full-size pickups). Vehicles weighing 7,000 pounds or more are outliers, and as highlighted by The Drive Editor-in-Chief Kyle Cheromcha in the video, drivers of heavy-duty pickups would encounter a similar situation.

      A Tesla Model 3 breaches a highway safety barrier during a test.

      The second part of the issue amplifies the first, and it’s a problem primarily linked to electric vehicles. Barriers are designed to absorb energy from impacts, focusing on the areas where a vehicle's energy is most concentrated: its center of mass. Unlike gasoline vehicles, which have relatively tall engines, most EVs feature low-mounted battery packs, resulting in a considerably lower center of mass. This was illustrated in a test where a Tesla Model 3 nearly completely destabilized the main impact rail and continued onward instead of being contained as intended.

      Additionally, engineers aren’t only designing barriers for the current cars and trucks available. The age of America’s vehicle fleet is increasing each year, and with the growing disparity between the newest and oldest vehicles on the road, new challenges arise for those tasked with ensuring they all remain intact.

      For the complete analysis, check out the video on our YouTube channel above.

      Have another infrastructure-related mystery you’d like us to unravel? Reach out at [email protected]!