The Irish Examiner View: Safety paramount as electric cars roll out

Electric cars will undoubtedly help to save our planet, or at least arrest the pace of its total ruination, but there is about them an inconvenient fact that tends to be overlooked: they are machines, and therefore as fallible as the folks who design and manufacture them. While much consumer concern has been about charging times and inadequate public re-charging networks, there are safety challenges that have yet to be resolved.

Unlike petrol-powered vehicles, e-cars that break down stop suddenly; they do not slow down gradually or coast, with any luck, to a gentle halt on the side of the road and out of harm’s way. On busy fast lanes, this could be a collision-making hazard. To compound the risk, there’s also a towing problem. There are e-cars that cannot be towed easily; when conked-out, they can be hauled off roads only by low-loaders.