In the past week, representatives of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have already expressed their concern about the increase in the concentration of heavier vehicles on the country's roads in the form of electric vehicles, which pose a threat to other road users. At the same time, statistics from another agency, IIHS, indicate the greater safety of electric vehicles for their passengers during a collision, and concerns about battery ignition are exaggerated.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for passengers and the driver of an electric vehicle, its large mass and layout with a heavy battery under the floor are usually favorable factors. A heavy car receives less acceleration when colliding with a lighter one at equal speeds, this reduces the likelihood of injury to the first people in the cabin.

Secondly, the presence of a traction battery under the floor lowers the center of gravity of the machine and reduces the likelihood of a rollover in a collision. According to IIHS statistics, drivers and passengers of electric vehicles were 40% less likely to be injured in road accidents than those who were in cars with internal combustion engines, if we consider the period from 2011 to 2019. It should also be borne in mind that electric vehicles are usually endowed with more modern active safety features that help to avoid accidents altogether.

As the IIHS explains, when crash testing electric vehicles, this organization has never encountered a traction battery ignition or excessive heating. The media pays too much attention to incidents of electric car fires after accidents, although ICE cars burn down in the amount of 170,000 annually. Between 2009 and 2014, EVs and ICE vehicles were about equally likely to catch fire in collisions. In other words, this danger to electric vehicles is exaggerated.