Electric cars have a reputation for usually starting to burn in the event of a serious accident and then being difficult to extinguish. The actual accident events and crash tests say otherwise. And Mercedes has now shown spectacularly that at least its own vehicles are safe.
The people of Stuttgart launched a Mercedes EQA and an EQS head-on at each other, one weighing 2.2 tons and the other 3 tons. Both were traveling at 56 km/h and met each other with a 50 percent overlap. The test scenario depicts a common type of accident on country roads. It can happen, for example, as a result of unsuccessful overtaking maneuvers, says Mercedes-Benz. The selected speed takes into account that in a real accident the drivers would try to brake before the vehicles collide in the worst case scenario. It exceeds the specifications for Euro NCAP crash tests – there test candidates crash into a mobile barrier weighing only 1400 kg with aluminum honeycombs as crash elements, each at 50 km/h. Mercedes-Benz certifies that its electric vehicles have a high level of safety after a self-conducted crash test for the passengers. As a result, the manufacturer classifies its heavily deformed electric cars as safe as the brand’s conventionally powered cars. Although they are comparatively heavy vehicles, in both cases the safety passenger cells remained intact and the doors could be opened. The high-voltage systems were automatically deactivated during the crash, the batteries themselves remained intact. In addition, according to Mercedes, the 150 measuring points of the two adult dummies each showed a low risk of serious or fatal injuries. “Thanks to defined crumple zones and modern restraint systems, both vehicles offer their passengers very good protection potential in the event of this high level of accident severity,” sums up the manufacturer.
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