10:23 p.m., September 4, 2022
Is driving an electric vehicle more dangerous than a conventional car? Nothing confirms this, but a study by the insurer Axa
comes to shed some light on the drivers of these much newer vehicles, reports Le Figaro
. According to the insurer, which conducted a study in Switzerland with 1,200 people, “electric car drivers cause 50% more collisions, causing damage to their own vehicle, than owners of traditional combustion models”.
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And one element in particular is implicated in this greater number of accidents: acceleration. Accidents most often occur “at the moment, not of the reduction in speed, but of acceleration”, notes Axa in his study. The insurer points out that, unlike the thermal cars
, where acceleration is gradual, in electric vehicles it is more abrupt. This is “overtapping” or involuntary rapid acceleration. “The majority of electric cars, especially powerful models, offer very high torque. Just touch the accelerator to realize it. This can result in involuntary, jerky, uncontrollable acceleration., specifies the study of Axa in Switzerland. Many drivers would therefore have had to review their way of driving and adapt, the first times.
Little risk of fire
Questioned during this study, the head of Axa’s accidentology and prevention research department, Michael Pfäffli, recalls that the battery “has an impact on the power, therefore on the handling of the vehicles, but also on their weight and their construction”. It is for this reason that a heavy car causes, on average, 10% more material damage than a light vehicle. “The older the vehicles, and therefore more lacking in safety systems, the greater the likelihood of bodily injury”, adds the specialist. And the risk is even greater on a vehicle over ten years old.
Finally, this report points the finger at a weakness of the electric cars
: the sills, characterized as a ” Achilles’ heel “. Thus, if the battery were to be damaged in this precise location, it might catch fire. However, according to Axa, electric cars are in no way more at risk than thermal ones of catching fire, because the battery is automatically disconnected. “other high-voltage cables and components within milliseconds”. According to official statistics, only 5 out of 10,000 cars catch fire. For comparison, marten damage is 28 times more common than car fires! Be careful all the same, because when the cars go up in flames, “Given the phenomenon of thermal runaway, the situation is becoming critical”. However, in the majority of cases, the fear of an electric shock during a rescue operation is unfounded, it is specified.
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