These are our Planet Savers
The average electric battery weight is around 1,000 pounds. That’s almost exactly the weight of the battery in the subcompact Kia Niro EV and Tesla Model 3. Then there’s the GMC Hummer EV Pickup. According to Axios, a sister publication to Kelley Blue Book, the Hummer’s EV battery tips the scales at around 2,900 pounds. Comparing those battery weight numbers with an ICE vehicle’s 13-gallon fuel tank filled with 6-pounds-per-gallon gas, totalling 78 pounds, reveals the impact of an EV battery on curb weight. An EV will outweigh a comparable ICE vehicle every time.Car Insurance Costs
Among the hidden costs of EV ownership is inflated insurance premiums. There are two reasons for the added cost. An electric car’s powertrain components — particularly the battery system, which can cost up to $30,000 or more to replace — than that of a gas-fuelled vehicle. Also, the magnified weight of the EV will increase the damage to other vehicles (or stationary objects) in a crash, therefore increasing liability claims. A finding of the National Bureau of Economic Research is that a 1,000-pound increase in the weight of a vehicle increases the probability of a fatality from a crash by 47%.
EV Tires: How They Wear
An electric vehicle’s tires wear more rapidly than a gas-fueled vehicle’s. According to the radio program Science Friday, the wear rate can be as much as 20% faster than tires on a gas-fueled vehicle. Some tire manufacturers attempt to address this by developing sturdier specialty tires for the electric car market.
