Heaviest Electric Vehicles of 2024 – Kelley Blue Book

Quick Facts About Electric Vehicle Weight

If you wonder why weight carries, well, in a discussion of electric vehicles (EVs), it’s because the weight in any vehicle affects everything from range to insurance cost to tire wear. The immense weight is also a safety concern. Moreover, among the things EVs have in common is excess weight. Despite a vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE) lugging a fuel tank loaded with gas, comparing an EV with a comparable ICE vehicle reveals the EV will weigh more. Why? Because of that hefty battery array electric vehicles must haul around. So, what impact does all that extra mass have? Read on. We’ll list a handful of the heaviest EVs and tell you about the adverse effects of excess weight.  

Curb Weight: EV vs. ICE

The average electric battery weight is around 1,000 pounds. That’s almost exactly the weight of the battery in the subcompact Kia Niro EV and Tesla Model 3. Then there’s the GMC Hummer EV Pickup. According to Axios, a sister publication to Kelley Blue Book, the Hummer’s EV battery tips the scales at around 2,900 pounds. Comparing those battery weight numbers with an ICE vehicle’s 13-gallon fuel tank filled with 6-pounds-per-gallon gas, totaling 78 pounds, reveals the impact of an EV battery on curb weight. An EV will outweigh a comparable ICE vehicle every time.

What Is Curb Weight?

Curb weight is the pure weight of the vehicle unburdened with cargo or occupants. However, for ICE vehicles, it does include a full complement of fluids: gasoline, oil, radiator water, windshield washer fluid, and so on.

The Heaviest Electric Vehicles

Here, we break out a few statistics, including estimated curb weight, for some heavier EVs. Remember that the weights are estimates and fluctuate depending on range variations within any given model.

Electric Vehicle Weight: What Are the Downsides?

Does it make any significant difference that EVs weigh hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, more than ICE vehicles? Yes, and for some reasons that aren’t totally obvious. Whenever we put in some time behind the wheel of an EV — any EV — we marvel at how effortlessly it seems to accelerate. Consequently, we occasionally forget just how heavy it is. However heavy, that extra weight carries consequences from safety concerns, car insurance costs, and more.

1. Stopping Distances

A safety concern with heavy electric vehicles is their stopping distances. The heavier the EV, the longer it takes to stop. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), though EVs are safer for the driver and passengers, they generally pose safety threats to other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists as designed. See below how it impacts your insurance costs.

2. Car Insurance Costs

Among the hidden costs of EV ownership is inflated insurance premiums. There are two reasons for the added cost. An electric car’s powertrain components — particularly the battery system, which can cost up to $30,000 or more to replace — than that of a gas-fueled vehicle. Also, the magnified weight of the EV will increase the damage to other vehicles (or stationary objects) in a crash, therefore increasing liability claims. A finding of the National Bureau of Economic Research is that a 1,000-pound increase in the weight of a vehicle increases the probability of a fatality from a crash by 47%.

PRO TIP: Although you can expect to pay more to insure an EV, it probably won’t be painfully more. Forbes Advisor says the average difference is roughly $100 per year.

3. Lagging Highway Infrastructure

We don’t need a government report to recognize the market trend toward SUVs and trucks translates into the average weight of a vehicle on U.S. roads today being greater than 20 or 30 years ago. Packing their extra 1,000 pounds of heft, EVs are certainly doing their part to push that average weight even higher. A formula developed by the American Association of State Highway Officials in the 1950s and still used today, the Generalized Fourth Power

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.6: By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
   • Indicator: Stopping distances of heavy electric vehicles

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure
   • Indicator: Impact of heavier electric vehicles on highway infrastructure

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all
   • Indicator: Impact of heavier electric vehicles on parking garages and structures

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards
   • Indicator: Wear rate of tires on electric vehicles compared to gas-fueled vehicles

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Explanation:

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being is addressed because the article discusses the safety concerns of heavy electric vehicles, specifically their stopping distances, which can impact road traffic accidents and injuries. Target 3.6 aims to reduce global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents, and the indicator mentioned in the article is the stopping distances of heavy electric vehicles.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure is connected to the article as it mentions the impact of heavier electric vehicles on highway infrastructure. Target 9.1 focuses on developing quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, which is relevant to the issue discussed. The indicator identified is the impact of heavier electric vehicles on highway infrastructure.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities is relevant because the article highlights the potential impact of heavier electric vehicles on parking garages and structures. Target 11.2 aims to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all. The indicator mentioned in the article is the impact of heavier electric vehicles on parking garages and structures.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action is addressed as the article mentions the wear rate of tires on electric vehicles compared to gas-fueled vehicles. Target 13.1 focuses on strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. The indicator identified is the wear rate of tires on electric vehicles compared to gas-fueled vehicles.

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: kbb.com

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