DUEBENDORF, Switzerland: Electric luxury cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) may be 40 per cent more likely to cause accidents than their standard engine counterparts, possibly because drivers are still getting used to their quick acceleration, French insurer AXA said.
The numbers, based on initial trends from claims data and not statistically significant, also suggest small and micro electric cars are slightly less likely to cause accidents than their combustion engine counterparts, AXA said at a crash test demonstration on Thursday.
AXA regularly carries out crash tests for vehicles. This year’s tests, which took place at a disused airport, focused on electric cars.
Overall accident rates for electric vehicles are about the same as for regular cars, according to liability insurance claims data for “7,000 year risks” — on 1,000 autos on the road for seven years — said Bettina Zahnd, head of accident research and prevention at AXA Switzerland.
“We saw that in the micro and small-car classes slightly fewer accidents are caused by electric autos. If you look at the luxury and SUV classes, however, we see 40 per cent more accidents with electric vehicles,” Zahnd said.
“We of course have thought about what causes this and acceleration is certainly a topic.”
Electric cars accelerate not only quickly, but also equally strongly no matter how high the revolutions per minute, which means drivers can find themselves going faster than they intended.
Half of electric car drivers in a survey this year by AXA had to adjust their driving to reflect the new acceleration and braking characteristics.
“Maximum acceleration is available immediately, while it takes a moment for internal combustion engines with even strong horsepower to reach maximum acceleration. That places new demands on drivers,” Zahnd said.
Electric vehicles accounted for less than 1 per cent of cars on the road in Switzerland and Germany last year, but made up 1.8 per cent of Swiss new car sales, or 6.6 per cent including hybrids, AXA said. — Reuters
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