ANCAP calls for safer green cars

IN RESPONSE to an expected wave of “cheap” BEVs in the near future, so-called “green” cars (EVs) should not come at the expense of safety says the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The entry point for an EV in Australia currently sits around the $47,000 (MG ZS EV) mark but new models foreshadowed in the next 12 months could cut this to the low $30,000 range.

And therein lies the issue ANCAP feels should be addressed – how car production (and battery) costs are cut while maintaining safety standards.

The organisation stressed in a statement issued today (Friday 19 August), the importance of ensuring the future of the Australian vehicle fleet is both safe and green, reminding consumers, fleets, the automotive industry and policy-makers that environmental targets should not come at the cost of safety.

While qualifying for a “desired” five-star ANCAP rating in itself means a car is inherently safe (to current required standards and in line with current technology) concern about ruptured batteries, electrical hazards, fires and explosions in BEVs are real issues confronting consumers, car-makers with an eye on costs and legislators.

The incidence of such events has caught considerable media attention, not only in the automotive sector.

Car-makers are faced with a cost issue relating to BEVs and that is lithium ion batteries are the single biggest cost in new energy cars. They are grappling with pressure to lower these costs in electron driven powertrains along with range anxiety issues around EVs.

How they reduce this cost while delivering on ever bigger promises is critical to ensuring the future of the Australian vehicle fleet is both safe and green.

“It is clear more needs to be done to encourage the supply of alternative-powered vehicles to help reduce emissions and create a cleaner and sustainable Australia,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

“With this, we want to remind consumers, fleet buyers, governments and the industry that the maintenance of high levels of safety must also remain a key factor.

“We know safety and environmental performance are top-of-mind considerations for the majority of new car buyers today, and pleasingly ANCAP has seen high levels of safety performance continue to flow through our ratings when evaluating the mix of electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicle models.

“To help accelerate this demand and build confidence among consumers that they don't need to sacrifice safety when it comes to choosing an alternative-powered vehicle, ANCAP is prioritising the testing and rating of these vehicles as part of our routine star rating program.

“We've also released a quick-reference consumer guide listing the range of alternative-powered models rated by ANCAP together with a summary of their safety performance,” she said.

ANCAP says its encouragement of new safety technologies has resulted in economic benefits of in excess of $440 million over the period 2019 to 2021 through fewer crashes causing fatalities, serious injuries and vehicle damage.

The high levels of safety provided in the alternative-powered vehicle models available in our market to date – carrying through the high levels of safety offered by traditional petrol and diesel models – has helped contribute to this significant saving.

“It is critical that initiatives to promote uptake of alternative-powered vehicles do not undermine the safety of Australia's vehicle fleet, and we're calling on all levels of government to ensure subsidies and incentives are only provided to models that offer the highest levels of safety,” said Ms Hoorweg.

“We're on the cusp of seeing a number of lower-cost EVs arrive in our market. Adopting a sensible approach reinforces to the industry – existing and new market entrants – that high levels of safety are expected with any and all new alternative-powered models that are on their radar for potential release into our market.”

ANCAP's complete consumer guide, Safe and Green, is available here.

To ensure safety is not compromised for those wanting to buy an alternative-powered vehicle, additional aspects are evaluated in ANCAP assessments to confirm battery and hybrid electric vehicles don't pose unique risks such as battery rupture or electrical hazards to the occupants or first responders following a crash.