'14 Spark Stands Alone in Winner's Circle in New Crash Tests

[markcmann]

It looks as though only the ICE version of the 2014 Spark was tested but I would assume the EV would perform the same?

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/201...one-in-winners-circle-in-new-crash-tests.html

 

[MysteriousJ]

I would love to see how the EV would perform since fundamentally the front components are different, though since it's not a wide-release vehicle we won't see it.

 

[WetOne]

I would think the EV would do better, without a large solid piece of machinery in the engine compartment to transmit crash force back into the passenger cabin. It effectively has a larger crumple zone up front.

 

[xylhim]

Look to see crash test results in the coming months. I talked to a local Chevy dealer and two Spark evs where sold to a crash test company this month near Victorville. I would suspect the added weight of the battery packs would improve crash test performance.

 

[cwerdna]

I would suspect the added weight of the battery packs would improve crash test performance.

I'd expect just the opposite. Kinetic energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2.

From a quick peek at http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-city-car/specs/dimensions.html vs. http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-ev-electric-vehicle/specs/dimensions.html, the EV is about 600 to 700 lbs heavier, and thus there's more kinetic energy for the front end to dissipate by crumpling.

 

[nozferatu]

The bottomline is this is a small car...and small cars just don't hold up quite as well as the behemoths that are driven around here in the US of A.

Where I live, there are tonnes of Mercedes ML's, E classes, etc...and they are, for the most part, driven around by idiots who think now that they are in high powered German cars, they own the road and can cut anyone off they want. i drive a Fiat 500 myself so it's always in the back of my mind what would happen if I'm unlucky enough to be t-boned or hit off-center by one of these idiots.