When Going Green Puts Road Users in Danger
Consumers in Pennsylvania and around the country purchase electric vehicles for the most part to lower their fuel bills and do their part to protect the environment. The first EVs to sell in large numbers in the United States were small and light hybrid models like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight that used small electric motors to improve their gas mileage, but the EVs that consumers are lining up to buy today are very different. Americans now choose large SUVs and pickup trucks over compact city cars, and auto manufacturers have responded to this change in consumer tastes by introducing a new generation of EVs.Heavy Battery Packs
The latest large pickup trucks and SUVs are a new generation of EVs backed by up to $7,500 in government subsidies and with ranges of up to 300 miles. They are able to travel long distances without recharging because they have much larger lithium-ion power packs, and those batteries are very heavy. Switching from gas to electric power adds up to 3,000 pounds to the weight of a Ford F-150 pickup truck, and the battery pack fitted to the GMC Hummer EV weighs as much as a Toyota Corolla. Most large electric pickup trucks and SUVs weigh more than 3 tons, and the GMC Hummer EV tips the scales at almost 5 tons.
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