As the number of electric vehicles on Belgian and Dutch roads has increased significantly in recent years, many questions have arisen regarding the safety of an electric car. Does the heavy battery pack pose extra risks to the occupants? And what is the impact of electromagnetic radiation? Can car batteries explode? We explain it here.

Vehicle safety

Before all new car models hit the market, they are required to pass a certain safety test first. The legislation states that the new cars must meet the minimum legal standard in terms of safety. A large proportion of new models are tested through EuroNCAP crash tests (as here). Electric cars get good results compared to regular gasoline and diesel cars, this means they are just as safe as gasoline and diesel cars.

Absence of noise

Most electric cars make almost no noise at speeds up to 20 mph. Because most electric cars make no noise, pedestrians and cyclists often do not notice that an electric car is driving near them. As a result, many new electric cars will have an acoustic vehicle warning system, this means that the car will make a soft but perceptible sound when the car is traveling less than 25 km/h to warn road users.

Fire Safety

Electric car manufacturers pay a lot of attention to the fire safety of the cars, and are also tested rigorously in this regard. Importers and car manufacturers have very detailed protocols ready for any incident with their electric cars, including fire.

Safety of charging infrastructure

Because of fire and touch safety, it has been decided to equip all public charging points as mode 3, type 2. With this connection, voltage is only applied to the charging cable when it is properly connected to the electric car. The sequence of mandatory actions when charging goes as follows – charging is so touch and fire safe because mandatory actions have been established when charging. You must first connect the cable to the car, then connect the cable to the charging station, the communication protocol checks the connection. Only when this is all done correctly, voltage will be transmitted and charging will begin. If the plug unexpectedly goes out of the car during charging, the power will be immediately cut off and the cable is immediately safe.

Please note this protocol is only mandatory at public charging stations. Home installations will therefore not always be safe.

Check out the various safety features of the NRGkick charging cable, the safest charger on the market!