Heavier EV crash tests expose guardrail vulnerabilities, could ‘save lives’

Recent studies conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility have shed light on a concerning issue regarding guardrails, a staple of road safety infrastructure which may not be adequately equipped to handle the increasing weight of electric vehicles (EVs). This finding has raised questions about whether a nationwide update is necessary to ensure the safety of all road users.

On average, EVs weigh approximately 30% more than their gas-powered counterparts, posing a challenge for existing guardrail systems designed to withstand collisions involving lighter vehicles.

Cody Stolle, the assistant director at the University of Nebraska’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, and his team have been at the forefront of investigating this issue, and they’re seeking solutions to address it through the use of crash tests.

“These full-scale crash tests indicated that we do need to make some redesigns and retrofits to our systems to better prepare for these gasoline vehicle transitions to electrical vehicles in the future,” Stolle told Straight Arrow News. “We’re going to have to accommodate the fact that future vehicles are likely going to continue to be heavier than today’s vehicles. And as they get heavier, we’re going to have to have infrastructure that adapts and reacts to those changes in weight.”

It will not be the first time this facility has taken on such a challenge. In the early 2000s, as Americans rapidly adopted heavier vehicles like pickup trucks and SUVs, vulnerabilities in the nation’s guardrail network became evident. As a result, the team at the University of Nebraska, known for its work in designing safety barriers for high-speed race tracks used by NASCAR, went to work on finding a solution.

“The Midwest guardrail system was developed here at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in response to those failures we observed in full-scale crash testing and in service performance data,” Stolle said. “Now, we’re going to continue that trend by evaluating with a whole new vehicle class. We’ll use our collective century of experience in roadside safety design to make those changes quickly and save lives.”

The research group conducted crash tests involving two different EV models, a 7,000-pound Rivian R1T truck and a 4,000-pound Tesla Model 3, on the current barrier system. In both cases, the guardrails failed to provide adequate protection.

“The biggest concern in both of these two crashes is the exposure of the occupants of those vehicles to whatever the guardrail was intended to shield and protect,” Stolle said. “If those features are, for example, trees, or bridge column supports or geographic features like rivers or lakes, the occupants of those vehicles may be exposed to those hazards because the guardrail system did not redirect those vehicles back to the roadway.”

With electric vehicles projected to comprise a significant portion of the U.S. auto market by 2026, experts warn that time is of the essence in addressing this issue. While EVs accounted for only 7.6% of total U.S. vehicle sales last year, forecasts suggest that this figure could exceed a quarter of the nation’s total car sales within the next few years.

“There is some urgency to address this issue,” Stolle said. “As the percentage of EVs on the road increases, the proportion of run-off-road crashes involving EVs will increase, as well. The good news is we’re going to plan ahead. This is the earliest step in a broad outcome to evaluate all of our hardware to prepare for what’s coming. And because we can prepare ahead, we can prevent those types of severe outcomes.”

The research team’s findings underscore the need for updates to ensure the safety of tomorrow’s drivers. By developing guardrail systems better suited to accommodate the increasing weight of electric vehicles, they hope to contribute to safer roadways and mitigate the risks associated with collisions involving these vehicles.

“It’s something of a divine godsend to put us in the right place at the right time to answer a question and save lives,” Stolle said.