The business section of my newspaper reports that the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf received top safety ratings in the first ever crash testing of an electric vehicle by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in results released yesterday. The Volt weighs 3,760 pounds (as much as a Chevy Impala) and the Leaf weighs 3,370 pounds (as much as a Nissan Altima).The extra mass helps protect the occupants in a crash, says the IIHS. The Government hasn't yet released crash test results for the Volt and Leaf. During testing the cars' electrical systems shut down safely after a crash.
As I see it, this is a very good thing for the EV industry, including Brammo and other electric motorcycle companies. Having the insurance industry feeling all warm and fuzzy about electric cars will likely keep them off our backs and help to keep insurance rates lower than if electric cars were seen as a hazard. Wherever plug-in cars go in the public's perception , we will be dragged along. Good press for autos is good press for the entire EV industry, to my mind.
