A European automotive laboratory warns of the danger of heavy electric SUVs: safe for passengers and dangerous for everyone | car

After testing eleven SUVs, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) has identified a worrying trend in consumer demand for heavier, more powerful and larger vehicles, which not only puts other drivers at risk but also has a negative impact, according to the NCAP. European testing has on the environment.

The vehicles tested were Volkswagen ID.7, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes EQE SUV, BYD Tang, Kia EV9, XPeng G9, VinFast VF8, Smart #3, BYD Seal-U, Honda ZR-V and Hyundai Kona. In the context of climate policy, it seems encouraging that the majority of these cars are electric cars, but of the 11 new cars evaluated, only three weigh less than 2 tons, and only one, Smart Car No. 3, is classified as family. Small car.

On the positive side, according to Euro NCAP, manufacturers, both old and new, are responding well to the Euro NCAP requirements that came into force at the beginning of this year. Eight of the eleven vehicles received a five-star rating. Only the Hyundai Kona, Vinfast VF8 and Honda ZR-V had to make do with four cars. But the ever-increasing weight worries the authorities.

For years, Euro NCAP has been accused of overweighting the cars themselves. It was thought that additional safety features meant more weight. This was never the case, and the increase in vehicle weight we see today has nothing to do with safety. According to Euro NCAP, it relates to consumer preference for larger vehicles and electrification, with larger batteries increasingly being used to address consumers’ concerns about range.

“This trend benefits neither safety nor the environment,” said Michel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP. “Large, heavy vehicles are generally less energy efficient than small, light vehicles. A safety issue arises when these two types of vehicles collide, or worse, when these types of vehicles collide with vulnerable road users.

However, the rise of SUVs seems unstoppable. For the first time, SUVs now account for more than half of new car sales in Europe. This is the first time in history that this has happened. The market share of SUVs rose to 51 percent.

Not all of them are very heavy and not all of them are electric, but the truth is that SUVs are more dangerous for vulnerable road users. Many European cities are trying to ban it from entering city centers, and the European Union is also calling for a separate driving license for SUVs for cars weighing more than 1,800 kg.