For well over a century, ever since Carl Benz produced the first combustion engined vehicle in 1886, car makers have been locked in fierce competition to produce the most efficient and capable engines. Yet growing concerns about the environmental impact of fossil fuels in recent years has prompted a radical rethink, with manufacturers now competing to be front runners in the electric vehicle (EVs) revolution. However, with EV batteries considerably heavier than combustion engines, this sudden and dramatic shift is fundamentally changing the risk profile of vehicles on our roads.

Cars have become much heavier due to the increased popularity of EVs but also SUVs and people carriers /minivans. Added to which, electric vans, trucks and lorries are rapidly becoming increasingly popular, with companies eager to save fuel costs and promote their green credentials to customers, investors and other stakeholders. This initially raises traffic safety concerns, with that additional weight translating into a dramatic increase in "baseline fatality probability", which rises by 47% for every 1,000 pounds added to a vehicle, according to a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the US. The study also highlighted that the fatality risk is even higher if the striking vehicle is a light truck, SUV, pickup truck or minivan.

A further consequence of increased weight is its impact on infrastructure, with safety watchdogs raising concerns following the deadly collapse of a parking garage in New York City in April. Economic fluctuations during the last 20 years have taken their toll on road network maintenance programmes in many countries, meaning EVs are often being unleashed onto creaking infrastructure.

The growing EV trend is therefore starting to raise serious concerns about the safety of roads, bridges, car parks and also the effect on maritime risk, i.e. with car transporters and ‘ro-ro’ ferries. Fire risk is also a very real hazard associated with EV batteries. At time of writing, a ship carrying nearly 3000 cars was ablaze off the Dutch coast, suspected to be caused by an electric car.

A report by the British Parking Association highlighted issues with car park owners and a lax approach to how multi-story car parks (MSCPs) are inspected. The report revealed confusion about where responsibility for structural integrity lies among managers /operators, owners and landlords. While 52% of respondents stated that inspections were completed in-house, it was unclear whether these were completed by appropriately qualified personnel, with only 22% stating they had definitely used a qualified structural engineer. Also concerning was that only 21% of respondents said their insurer requires regular inspection, while 7% said theirs didn’t. When asked if they had previously experienced structural problems, 29% stated they had while 38% either didn’t answer or didn’t know.

Clearly, for the proliferation of electric vehicles to continue safely, the infrastructure that carries them needs to change in tandem with that and at a faster rate. Regulation also needs to be tighter, with better, more rigorously enforced best practice and greater oversight.

Those of us in insurance with structural engineering, property-owner and construction /design construction clients, also have a role to play. This involves asking probing questions, sharing concerns and raising awareness about the increasing risks being ushered in by the EV era. It further requires insurers to be tighter and more uniform in mandating infrastructure inspections annually and that they be carried out by a qualified structural engineer.

For MSCPs, concerns were being raised about the lack of maintenance long before EVs became popular. The fact that the current system is one of self-regulation, not policed and therefore open to abuse is a further imperative for insurers and brokers to play their part in ensuring the EV revolution is sustainable and that it continues safely.