Home » Business » Electric Cars Causing Road Damage: The Burden on Local Governments and Budgets

Electric Cars Causing Road Damage: The Burden on Local Governments and Budgets

Electric cars degrade the road surface up to twice as fast as cars with a combustion engine. Researchers from the University of Leeds warn that the growing popularity of electric cars can be a serious burden on the budgets of local governments, which will have to face the growing problem of pothole roads.

Electric cars damage the road surface even twice as much as their counterparts with internal combustion engines /WOJCIECH STROZYK/REPORTER/WOJCIECH STROZYK/REPORTER /Agencja SE/East News

Contents:

Electric cars and progressive electromobility are causing new problems for the British. A few weeks ago, local media reported that the large mass of electric cars is a huge challenge for multi-storey car parks built in the 1970s and 1980s. Now it turns out that electrics can be too heavy not only for parking lots but also for many local roads.

Electric cars destroy roads twice as fast as combustion cars

The Daily Telegraph warns the British about the new problem, which refers to the research of scientists from the University of Leeds. They show that electric cars are on average 312 kg heavier than their class equivalents with a combustion engine. This is, of course, the effect of carrying batteries on board, the weight of which in many popular models reaches 500 kg.

Currently, even electric C-segment cars weigh well over 1.5 tons. For example, the Volkswagen ID.3, popular among buyers, weighs nearly 1,800 kg “empty”. For comparison, the Volkswagen Golf 5 with a heavy 1.9-liter TDI diesel engine with 105 hp had a curb weight of 1,251 kg.

Scientists warn that – according to the “fourth power formula” widely used in the circles of road engineers – a doubling of the load on the axles of a vehicle results in a 16-fold increase in its impact on pavement degradation. Research by scientists shows that the average electric car loads the road surface:

2.24 times more than its gasoline counterpart, 1.95 times more than its diesel counterpart.

Increased loads have the greatest impact on the so-called wearing course, i.e. the top surface of the road. Its degradation progresses as a result of the formation of micro-cracks, which over time turn into holes.

Motorways and expressways friendly to electric cars

The British point out that the additional mass of electric cars is not a problem for highways and national roads. These are designed mainly for “heavy” road transport and the impact of passenger cars on their consumption is marginal. However, local roads are a problem. According to researchers from the University of Edinburgh, the spread of electric cars could increase the degradation of Scottish roads by up to a third.

According to the study’s author – John Low – when all buses and lorries become electric, expenditure on road infrastructure repairs in Scotland alone will increase by £164 million.

The Daily Telegraph also refers to a report by the Center for Policy Studies, a think tank cooperating with the British government, which recently raised the issue of the impact of electric cars on road infrastructure. The authors of the document suggest introducing an additional tax for car owners, which would be charged on the basis of the weight of the vehicle

Electric cars and residential roads. There is a big problem

The problem of the additional weight of electric vehicles may be particularly noticeable in the case of urban or residential roads and – according to the authors of the publication – will grow at a rapid pace. Since 2019 alone, the number of electric cars in the UK has tripled to over 900,000. According to the estimates of the local Department for Transport, in 2023, 4 out of 5 miles driven on British roads will be covered by electric cars.

2023-06-28 16:20:00
#Electric #cars #destroy #roads #faster #combustion #cars #taxed

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.