Volvo: EV cars can be safer than petrol

Safety pioneer Volvo claims that electric vehicles (EV) could end up being even safer than petrol-powered equivalents. The claim is made by the brand's safety expert, Thomas Broberg, as he leads the firm's investigation into EV safety.

Having announced its intention to get involved in the EV and hybrid markets, Volvo has also flagged it's getting serious about the safety of such vehicles. The Swedish company is working on a wide ranging program to look at all aspects of electric vehicles from a safety point-of-view.

In recent weeks, Volvo has revealed it is working on all-electric C30 and a plug-in hybrid. In tandem with that, the company that invented the seatbelt and built its image on safety is trying to set the agenda on safe electric cars.

"A holistic approach and real-life traffic conditions are always the starting-point for Volvo's safety work," said Broberg. "Based on our massive database featuring input from actual road accidents, we know where the focus must lie in everyday traffic conditions. The solutions we have developed for our forthcoming electric cars therefore take into account the situations that are unique to this type of car."

Volvo is understood to be testing each component of the EV system, with the entire systems removed from the car as well as the EV powertrain inside the vehicles. The tests are being carried out both digitally, using computer simulations, and in real world conditions at Volvo's test facility.

"At present we are conducting tests at component level to see how the battery is affected by harsh braking and the subsequent collision, examining the results from several different angles. We are also carrying out, for the first time, advanced crash tests in full scale to evaluate the technology in electrically powered cars," said Broberg.

"We may well see further down the line that cars powered solely by electricity can be made even safer than cars with combustion engines. We like to see electrification technology as an exciting challenge -- even from the safety viewpoint," Broberg added.

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