Are Electric Cars too Heavy for the UK?

The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) marks a pivotal moment in the automotive industry’s transition towards sustainability.

As the world grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions, many countries, including the UK, have set ambitious targets to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles in favour of their electric counterparts.

However, amidst the enthusiasm for cleaner transportation, concerns have emerged regarding the weight of electric cars and their compatibility on UK roads.

Unlike conventional vehicles, electric cars are equipped with heavy lithium-ion batteries that power their electric motors.

While these batteries enable extended driving ranges and improved performance, they also contribute significantly to the overall weight of the vehicle.

This weight disparity raises concerns about the strain electric cars may have on UK roads, bridges and car parks.

Moreover, heavier vehicles are known to cause more wear and tear on road surfaces, potentially leading to increased maintenance costs and environmental degradation.

We delve into the debate surrounding the weight of electric cars in the UK as well as the implications.

Are Electric Cars Too Heavy?

Over the past several years, there has been a noticeable increase in the size and weight of vehicles on our roads.

Potholes and cracks are common sights on UK roads.

The introduction of electric cars has added another layer of concern regarding the strain these vehicles may place on our infrastructure.

Bulky battery packs in electric cars have prompted discussions about the potential implications for our roads, bridges and car parks.

As electric vehicles become more prevalent, there is a growing concern that the added weight from their battery systems could exacerbate existing issues of wear and tear on our roadways.

Traditional road infrastructure was not necessarily designed to accommodate the weight distribution and increased mass of electric vehicles, raising questions about the durability and longevity of our roads under these new conditions.

Furthermore, the impact of heavier electric cars extends beyond just the roads themselves.

Bridges, which already face challenges related to ageing and capacity constraints, may be further strained by the increased weight of electric vehicles passing over them.

Similarly, car parks may need to be reassessed and potentially reinforced to support the weight of electric cars, especially in densely populated urban areas where parking structures are common.

The concern over the potential strain on our infrastructure is not just a matter of inconvenience or aesthetics; it also has significant implications for safety and sustainability.

Heavy vehicles can accelerate the degradation of roads, leading to increased maintenance costs and potentially hazardous driving conditions.

Moreover, the environmental impact of repairing and reinforcing infrastructure to accommodate electric cars must be carefully considered in the broader context of sustainability and resource management.

Matthew Lynn, a columnist at the Daily Telegraph, wrote:

“It’s far from clear that the charging infrastructure will be in place, or whether roads and bridges will cope with the heavier vehicles.”

In 2023, Conservative MP Greg Knight asked the UK government to test “the adequacy of the strength of multistorey car parks and bridges at safely bearing the additional weight of electric vehicles”.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance has claimed that smaller roads could be vulnerable to increased pothole formation, and the Daily Mail wrote:

“Multistorey car parks could be at risk of collapsing.”

The Reality

Electric cars can be very heavy.

According to Car Magazine, General Motors’ Hummer “manages to look even heavier than it is”.

This is impressive, especially because it weighs more than four tonnes. A third of that is the battery pack capable of powering one of the biggest cars over 300 miles.

A more reasonable electric car is the Tesla Model Y, which weighs two tonnes.

In comparison, the Range Rover weighs in at 2.5 tonnes before any occupants while newer versions of Ford’s F-150 pickup truck can weigh as much as 2.7 tonnes.

Nevertheless, the campaign group Transport and Environment calculates that EVs are on average between 300kg and 400kg heavier.

For every 90 miles of range, it adds about 100kg of battery weight.

Heavier cars mean there is more friction between the tyres and the road and more stress on whatever is below the car. This means roads deteriorate faster.

In 2022, academics at the University of Edinburgh calculated that there could be between 20% and 40% additional road wear (potholes) associated with EVs compared to petrol and diesel cars.

However, the analysis found that any extra wear is “overwhelmingly caused by large vehicles – buses, heavy goods vehicles”.

They said road wear from cars and motorcycles is “so low that this is immaterial”.

When it comes to bridges, Colin Walker, the head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, said in the UK there are very few roads or bridges with weight limits below 7.5 tonnes.

Any vehicle heavier than 3.5 tonnes requires a lorry licence in the UK.

When designing structures, engineers consider “factors of safety”.

For example, steelwork in bridges is typically made with a factor of safety of between five and seven times the expected load, giving them an ample margin for 300 extra kilograms.

National Highways, which runs the UK’s motorways and A roads, is not concerned.

A spokesperson said: “Our bridges are designed to support 44-tonne heavy goods vehicles, so we have no concerns over the increased weight of much lighter EV cars.”

Are there any Red Flags?

According to Kelvin Reynolds, the chief technical services officer at the British Parking Association, the increase in size could theoretically cause problems for some of the oldest car parks.

He explained that car parks built within the past 10 years or so would not have any problems because they were built with heavy SUVs in mind.

However, “older car parks may present some initial risks that need to be addressed – not that can’t be addressed but that need to be addressed”.

For multistorey car park owners, they could undertake work to strengthen their buildings but this could be costly.

Alternatively, they could reduce the number of cars allowed on each floor. That could result in lost profits, even if for many car parks the losses would probably be minimal.

Reynolds said:

“The transition is going to be the challenge.”

In the long term, the assumption that electric cars will always be heavier is also open to question.

Auke Hoekstra, an energy transition researcher at the Eindhoven University of Technology, estimates that batteries are cramming twice as much energy into the same weight every decade.

If that continues, the weight problem will disappear before it has started.

Lucien Mathieu, of Transport and Environment, believes governments should incentivise smaller cars through policies such as taxes and parking charges.

This would benefit more than just road wear.

He added: “It is not inevitable that EVs are much heavier than internal combustion engine cars.

“We can and should shift from [internal combustion engines] to EVs, while at the same time reversing the SUV trend.”

The additional weight stemming from electric cars may pose some fringe challenges, particularly in the short term.

However, the majority of EV drivers are unlikely to encounter direct issues.

While certain car park owners may feel the impact, and the potential proliferation of heavier electric trucks could contribute to increased road maintenance expenses, the direct consequences are primarily shouldered by infrastructure upkeep budgets.

Walker said concerns about extra weight for EVs were simply “massively overstated”.

However, he added that carmakers do have a responsibility to produce smaller electric cars, after years of focusing on the most profitable SUVs.

It’s crucial to note that the increased weight of electric cars is unlikely to hasten the deterioration of roads, bridges, and car parks.

Weight concerns should not detract from the overarching objective: reducing carbon emissions to achieve net-zero targets.