EVs are getting too heavy and too powerful, safety chief says

Enlarge / The Hummer EV has become the poster child for oversized, overweight EVs, and it was called out by the government's top road safety advisor. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

If you're concerned that road vehicles are getting too large and too heavy, particularly as we make the transition to electric ones, you're not alone. On Wednesday, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy raised the alarm during her keynote speech at this year's Transportation Research Board's annual meeting in Washington, DC.

"I'm concerned about the increased risk of severe injury and death for all road users from heavier curb weights and [the] increasing size, power, and performance of vehicles on our roads, including electric vehicles," she told attendees.

The poster child for excessive EVs is the GMC Hummer EV, a monster truck with a monstrous 9,063 lb (4,110 kg) curb weight. The vehicle is still powerful enough to hurl itself to 60 mph in three seconds. Appropriately, that feature is called "WTF mode." Indeed, Homendy drew attention to the gigantic Hummer in her speech.