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Cars have been getting heavier for years, but EVs have pushed the limit. Even small electric cars weigh significantly more than their gas-powered counterparts, and some models crush the scales with incredible curb weights. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) typically tests vehicles for their crashworthiness, but ultra-heavy EVs led it to test its equipment for readiness.
The organization released a video to explain the process of testing its equipment. The presenters noted that the IIHS is concerned about current and upcoming EV models that can weigh up to 9,500 pounds. They don’t outright say they’re talking about the GMC Hummer EV, but it’s no secret that the massive vehicle pushes the boundaries of road-legal passenger vehicle weights.
Despite having more cameras and safety tech than the Pentagon, the Hummer is so heavy that Europeans may need a commercial license to drive it. Earlier this year, Jalopnik reported that the EV’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) makes it ineligible to drive without a CDL, even if lowered. American roads may be more accommodating to larger vehicles, but there is no solution to the safety issue posed by having such heavy alongside smaller vehicles in traffic.
The Hummer is heavy, but it’s far from the only high-BMI EV. The Rivian R1T, shown briefly in the video, weighs more than 7,000 pounds. Its contemporary, the Ford F-150 Lightning, weighs more than 6,000 pounds. Both dwarf traditional full-size pickups like the standard F-150, topping out at less than 6,000 pounds. The organization is unsure whether its testing propulsion system can handle vehicles of that weight, and notes that crash tests are performed by towing the vehicle to the crash site rather than driving them under their weight. own power.
Torture test equipment involved using a beat-up Ford truck with concrete weights stuffed into the back. Crash testing occurs at 40 mph, so the equipment needed to pull the 9,500-pound test F-150 down a 600-foot runway. The test was successful, and the towing system could accelerate the truck without issue. The truck, on the other hand, met its end violently as the enormous weight fell on the cab in the crash.
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