A new study by Lero, the Research Ireland Center for Software, at University of Limerick and Universitat de Barcelona, has revealed that electric vehicle (EV) drivers are more likely to be involved in at-fault road traffic accidents than drivers of petrol and diesel cars.
The study posited that the differences in vehicle operation, coupled with the rapid proliferation of EVs, presented increased hazards and made EV drivers more exposed to incurring at-fault claims than internal combustion engines (ICE) drivers despite their lower average mileage.
The researchers suggested that the by 2030, EV sale forecasts predict that 60% of all new vehicle registrations will be EVs, warranting an in-depth investigation into the divergent risk profiles and driving behaviour of EVs, Hybrids (HYB) and ICEs.
The research is authored by Kevin McDonnell, Dr. Barry Sheehan, Professor Finbarr Murphy, all from Lero at University of Limerick, and Professor Montserrat Guillen of Universitat de Barcelona.
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The study used telematic data from 125 million commercial fleet vehicle trips involving 14,642 vehicles recorded from January 2022 to October 2022 in the Netherlands.
It also used an insurance claims dataset during the same period.
The research concluded that drivers’ driving behaviour changes significantly when switching to HYBs or EVs.
Additionally, further investigation into first-party damage costs revealed that over one-third of EVs and HYBs incur damages of over €1,000 when being involved in an accident.
Associate Professor in risk and finance at UL, Dr. Sheehan, added: “Our research finds that despite their lower average mileage than internal combustion engines, lower road exposure for EV drivers does not reduce their risk of experiencing an at-fault insurance claim.
“When analysing at-fault claims, we find a 4% increase in crashes from EVs and a 6% increase for HYBs compared to internal combustion engines.
“These results indicate that EVs have a higher risk profile than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
“Our research shows drivers’ driving behavior changes significantly when switching to hybrids or EVs. These results mean EVs are more likely to experience an at-fault claim than internal combustion engines.”
Achievements and innovations EV charging infrastructure will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table!
