
6 minutes readDec 4, 2019
Electric vehicle safety
Electric vehicle | EV essentialsElectric vehicle safety is greater than combustion cars: they have multiple safety elements and considerations and competitive advantages.
## What happens in an accident? At United States, the **NHTSA** (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is the responsible for carrying out tests which ensures the safety of all vehicles, including electric ones, and has classified the **Tesla Model S** with the highest score in history. At **European** level, any vehicle must pass a test before it can be approved and homologated; the **crash test**, which consists of a collision test which measures the injuries that the occupants of the vehicle can suffer in a crash.
Did you know that Nissan Leaf was the first electric car to get five stars on the crash test, that is, the lowest risk of injury from its occupants?
### And why electric cars are safer in crash cases?
For one simple reason, because thanks to the fact of **not having a large internal combustion engine**. In this way, manufacturers can develop vehicles by focusing them much more on safety without being conditioned by the structure of a large motor. This means that they can design **more spaces** designed to better absorb the energy that is released in a crash.
In addition, an electric motor is less likely to pass through the vehicle in an accident by being located in the ground floor. And that also facilitates that the resistance in lateral crashes is greater.
## Without electrocuting danger One of the first fears that arise in the community is the worry about being electrocuted in a hybrid or electric car. However, **the probability is** as **minimal** as the possibility that you get electrocuted by plugging in the hair dryer, charging your smartphone or turning on the microwave. Well, in the same way that all these elements are protected with **safety systems**, so are electric vehicles. Thus, EVs are **perfectly insulated and waterproofed** since their respective batteries are protected by **shielded boxes**, the high voltage cables are covered by bright colors and, in case of an impact, the system automatically disconnects the electric current. In addition, each manufacturer provides emergency services with information about the composition of the EV elements (especially the most dangerous ones) to avoid possible accidents or electrocutions in case of intervention on the vehicle. A clear example could be the case of the **tsunami** and **earthquake** that occurred in Japan in March 2011, in which more than **20 Nissan LEAF were affected** (covered with water, beaten, overturned ...), but in all cases **its components remained isolated** and didn’t cause any kind of accident. ## Better braking system **Regenerative braking** is a system that offers a double advantage. On the one hand, when you lift your foot from the accelerator pedal, it allows the vehicle to **start stopping slowly**. Thanks to this system it’s possible to recover part of the energy to **recharge the battery**. And, in addition, in case of emergency and having to press the brake abruptly, the vehicle will stop a few thousandths of a second before its respective equivalent of gasoline or diesel since, before stepping on the brake, the car had already started to decelerate. On the other hand, the fact of not stepping on the brake pedal so much increases the life of the discs and the brake pads since they wear away much less. And what does it mean? It means a **more economical vehicle maintenance** and being able to have brakes in better conditions in situations of danger.
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