- EVs are much less prone to rear-end different vehicles due to improved frontal collision avoidance tech
- They’re, nonetheless, extra prone to be rear-ended
- EVs nonetheless take extra time and are costlier to restore versus gas-powered vehicles
It seems that driving an EV may make you much less of a street hazard—no less than from behind. A new research exhibits that EVs are racking up fewer and fewer front-end collisions in comparison with their gas-powered counterparts. The information exhibits that ICE vehicles are, on common, 6% extra prone to be concerned in a repairable front-end collision than EVs (32% vs 26%, respectively). So what is the secret, precisely? Nicely, it is all that fancy new driver-assistance tech!
Let’s dive into why EVs are profitable this battle. The key purpose is simply how new EVs are to market; fresh-off-the-line EVs on the street have a more moderen common mannequin 12 months in comparison with most gas-powered fashions. This implies newer and extra refreshed tech planted in EVs—lane-keeping, front-crash avoidance techniques, and automated emergency braking—are all doing their job fairly nicely and padding the stats within the EVs’ favor.
Photograph by: Tesla
Curiously, whereas repairable EVs are much less prone to hit a car from the entrance, they’re extra prone to be plowed into from the rear. The research exhibits that 36% of BEV repairs are for rear-end impacts versus 28% of ICE autos. This appears like such a bizarre statistic, would not it? However stick with me right here, as a result of there may be a straightforward clarification as to why.
The research hypothesizes that regenerative braking may very well be accountable. Particularly, it calls out the distinction in driving dynamics when driving an EV in single-pedal mode versus utilizing friction braking to decelerate an ICE-powered automobile. Regardless of EVs rising in popularity, they nonetheless solely make up round 8% of latest car gross sales, so drivers—you already know, those tailgating you whereas weaving out and in of visitors—won’t be prepared for an EV’s regenerative braking to do its factor when the motive force lifts off the fuel pedal abruptly.
Let’s discuss turkey whereas we’re right here. Entrance-end collisions are considerably costlier to repair than being hit within the rear. The research estimates that restore prices are, on common, round 40% larger for front-end crashes, making EVs an surprising ally on this division. The flip facet is that they are nonetheless costlier within the store and take longer to restore.
This may very well be as a result of overwhelmingly excessive use of OEM elements to finish restores. The research goes on to level out that 90.3% of elements utilized in BEV repairs are OEM elements immediately from the producer. ICE autos use round 64.4%, which helps to chop down on prices. And to rub salt within the wound, fewer elements will be repaired as a substitute of changed in EVs (12.4% vs 13.9%, respectively).
These stats do not imply that EVs are getting totaled at a better price than ICE. In reality, the whole loss frequency is sort of the identical, differing by lower than one-tenth of a p.c. Nonetheless, the typical complete lack of an EV is larger at $32,718 for BEVs in Q3 versus $31,070 for mannequin 12 months 2021 and newer ICE vehicles.
It is solely a matter of time earlier than refreshed fuel vehicles get geared up with related tech that helps keep away from these embarrassing “whoops” moments behind the wheel. For now, you possibly can no less than really feel a little bit bit safer pulling as much as a crimson gentle when an EV is behind you—simply hope that the EV driver would not have a dashing ICE automobile developing behind it.
