EVs: the future of transportation with a Cyber Hippo weight problem

OAKLAND, Calif. - Experts say the best time to by a new car is from October through December due to year-end deals and incentives. This year, electric cars will be high one that list.

There is no doubt we will all see ever-increasing numbers of electric vehicles on the roadways. But two issues have come up for those yet to buy or lease, This relatively new and evolving technology: weight and reliability.

About two weeks ago, a Tesla went off a residential street in San Mateo, plowed through two parked cars, vaulted a swimming pool and smashed into the kitchen of this house. The vehicle weighed about 5,200 pounds.

An electric car gets its batteries recharged.. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

The Ralph Nader created Center for Auto Safety, researching car safety for more than 60 years, calls EV's Cyber Hippos, especially large SUVs and pickup trucks that increasingly dominate the U.S. market. "Heavy pickup tricks, some of which are approaching 10,000 pounds now, which is, you know, just an incredibly large vehicle and, it's something that traditionally has been reserved for special commercial vehicles and requires special licenses," said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety.

The concerns is for a growing fleet of much heavier cars colliding with far lighter gasoline cars. "We're gonna see negative consequences for the people in smaller vehicles, said Brooks.

And, says the longtime safety group, there is currently no limit and lighter so-called solid state batteries are years in the future. "There's no regulatory authority that can tell manufacturers how they're going to deploy this technology. You could have a manufacturer that says we want a thousand miles range. We don't care how much the vehicles weigh," said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety.

Another issue to consider, Consumer Reports magazine reviewed data on more than 330,000 vehicles made between 2000 and 2023. That research shows, that fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids 80 to 150 percent more problems, making them less reliable than conventional cars for now.

But, EV owners say they love their cars. "Going green was the goal. That was my thing originally. So, it was all about clean energy." said Tesla owner Liam Kande.

Make no mistake, electric vehicles and hydrogen-fuel cell cars will replace fossil f fuel vehicles but. it very much remains a work in progress.