How Much Does a Car Battery Weigh – Electric cars are a marvel in the automobile industry. Most of the Evs don’t emit carbon dioxide emissions which will help to reduce air pollution.
An untapped issue related to electric cars is their weight. Here in this article, we are going to talk about the weight of the electric car in proper detail.
How Much Does a Car Battery Weigh?
The Weight of an Electric Car
One of the Norwegian YouTuber named Bjorn Nyland posts a video about electric cars measuring the weight of dozens of electric cars. These are the conclusions that were derived from his data.
- The average weight of the electric cars which he reviewed is nearly 1,940 KG.
- Only one third of the cars weigh more than 2,000 KG.
- Most of the cars weigh between 1,500 KG and 2,000 KG.
- Only a few models weigh below 1,500 KG.
Electric cars are mainly heavy as compared to gasoline or petroleum powered cars. Let’s take Ford as an example. Ford’s mustang match E is mainly 500 pounds heavier as compared to Edge. There are no trucks and pick-ups or large SUVs in the category of electric vehicles yet. The average curb weight of electric cars is lower than the cars with internal combustion engines.
Why are electric cars heavier than traditional cars? With the help of this article, you can be able to understand the weight of electric cars. So, keep reading this article to understand everything.
How to Measure The Weight of Electric Cars?
There are mainly three methods to simply define the weight of the electric car, curb weight or the gross weight and the towing capacity. Simply read further to know about these terms in a better manner.
- Curb Weight
Curb weight mainly refers to the weight of the automobile without the driver or the passenger, cargo, and fuel as well. It also includes the weight of the car with the s standard equipment such as fuel tanks, motors, and also the electronics. In simple terms, it is the weight of the car when it gets empty.
- Gross Vehicle Weight
Gross vehicle weight mainly refers to the maximum weight of the car which accounts for everything like curb weight and the weight of the passenger and cargo as well. People think that the gross vehicle weight and the gross vehicle weight are mainly similar. Both of these terms are mainly different from each other.
- Gross vehicle weight rating is the maximum weight that can be handled by a car.
- Gross vehicle weight is the total weight of the car at a particular point at a time.
Make sure to never let the weight of the car surpass the gross vehicle weight rating. It can’t affect the performance of the car but you can also cancel your warranty as well.
- Towing Capacity
The name said it all. The towing capacity mainly refers to the amount of the vehicle can tow at a time. It is highly relevant for heavy vehicles such as caravans and trailers. Simply consider this measure only if you intend to use your electric car for towing related tasks.
Why are Electric Cars Heavier Than Gasoline Powered Cars?
Electric cars are mainly operated by heavy batteries and they are the major reason why electric cars are heavier as compared to regular cars. Another reason which will make the electric car heavier is having a heavy body and framework and stronger suspension, metal protection for the battery, and also the charging hardware as well.
- Battery Packs
Battery packs are so tough to deal with as they are mainly designed to hold the maximum power to simply move the electric car. They are having lots of identical batteries or individual battery cells which are mainly configured into a series, parallel, or a mixture of both to simply provide the desired voltage, capacity, and also power density as well. Batteries mainly determine the driving range, speed, and also overall power of the electric car. It means that you are required to have more batteries for better performance and it may lead us to a simple conclusion.
- Metal Encasing for the Battery
Batteries mainly hold a huge amount of power and also they may explode if you puncture or damage them in any manner. You need to have a strong encasing to simply keep them covered and also protected every time.
- Added Electronics
Electric cars are mainly computerized as compared to cars having internal combustion engines. They are mainly bound to have a large amount of cabling and also the extra electronic components. Some of the major parts of the electric cars are having the extra onboard computer, sensors, and cameras as well. Also, these parts don’t have as much weight individually and their weights mainly tend to increase when combined. The traditional cars are having cabling but they don’t have a large extent. As they don’t have any batteries and they are not as technologically advanced as compared to electric cars.
- Accessories for Extra Comfort
Electric cars are mainly considered a luxury in the automotive world. They are not in demand due to their performance and people love them because they provide more comfort as compared to traditional cars. In terms of raising the level of comfort, electric cars are incorporated with things like plush seats, heating and ventilation systems, and infotainment screens. These things will contribute to the complete weight of the car.
- Heavier Body Structure
The components of electric cars are so heavy as compared to gasoline powered cars. For example, the battery suspension, electric controls, and much more. The car body and the framework are equally strong to simply hold all the heavy parts. A strong body and the framework are mainly possible by the thick metal and which means that they have more weight.
- Stronger Suspension
Suspension mainly refers to the system of the spring and shock absorbers that support the wheel’s movement into the car. When the electric car is having a heavy body then the suspension is equally powerful to handle the extra weight. The suspension of most electric cars is mainly beefier as compared to the suspension of traditional cars and adds more to the overall weight of the car.
- Adding Charging Hardware
Electric cars mainly free people from the burden of fuel tanks by simply replacing them with batteries. You are required to have a complete setup to charge them and the additional charging equipment also adds weight to the electric car.
How Will The Weight of Electric Cars Reduce?
It is high time manufacturers think about different methods to reduce the weight of the electric car but how is it possible?
Presently, the batteries that will get used in most electric cars are made up of lithium-ion. Lithium-ion is not high in energy density and you need to have lots of batteries for the high power. The energy density of the lithium-ion is mainly expected to increase by 7% per year and the electric car will weigh less when the lithium ion will hold more energy. Electric cars also weigh less if we use more lightweight materials such as magnesium to simply produce the batteries of the car. The benefits and also the use of these materials are still in research.
The body of the electric car is mainly made of steel and if we use it to construct the body of the electric car then the overall weight will reduce significantly. The lightweight materials are like magnesium which is more economical.
Guide Source: EvsHunt.com
Final Verdict
Electric cars are heavier as compared to gasoline powered cars due to the heavy battery packs and also their metal encasing as well. Other reasons for the added weight are the charging hardware, electronic control, and accessories for extra comfort and a heavy body and framework or strong suspension.
Heavyweight affects the performance of the electric car directly and causes environmental degradation in the long run and more damage in case of road accidents. We need to find out the methods to decrease the weight of electric cars.
The weight of electric cars is mainly expected to reduce the introduction of the new lightweight materials for construction and the technological improvements to the existing materials.
So, now you know How Much Does a Car Battery Weigh and if you still have any queries or feedback then you can drop your queries in the comment section below.