The tragic car accident has raised questions about the safety of new energy vehicles
There was a loud bang, followed by a blazing fire! On the afternoon of April 26, a Wenjie M7 Plus pure electric vehicle jointly developed by Huawei and Celis Automobile caught fire after rear-ending a sprinkler truck on the Yuncheng Expressway in Shanxi Province. This is how the tragedy unfolded, and three people in the car died on the spot, including a 2-year-old baby.
This tragic car accident not only makes people lament the preciousness of life, but also makes people question the safety performance of new energy vehicles. The family of the deceased raised a series of questions about the accident vehicle, such as why the airbag did not deploy? Why can't I open my car door? Why is the automatic emergency braking system (AEB) not activated? These questions undoubtedly point to possible safety design flaws in the vehicle itself.
It is understood that the speed of the vehicle at the time of the incident was as high as 115 km/h, which was a typical rear-end accident. But the family believes that even if it is a rear-end collision, situations such as airbags not deploying and doors not opening should not happen. They suspect that the vehicle did not leave the necessary living space and escape route for the occupants in the event of a violent collision, which undoubtedly exacerbated the casualties.
Explanations from car companies coexist with expert comments
In the face of the family's questions, Wenjie Automobile Company also responded. According to on-board data, the vehicle reached a speed of 115 km/h at the time of the accident, which was beyond the effective range of the AEB system (4-85 km/h, so the automatic emergency braking was not activated. The airbags did open, and the battery pack data showed that everything was fine.
The company's explanation does not seem to have convinced the family completely. Even in a rear-end collision, the airbag does not deploy and the door does not open. The family believes that the vehicle did not leave the necessary living space and escape route for the occupants in the event of a violent collision, which was the root cause of the tragedy.
In this regard, Hu Xijin, a well-known current commentator, expressed his views on Weibo. He began by pointing out that this was a typical rear-end accident that caused a burn and should not be commented on in isolation from the fact itself. However, he also believes that the doubts raised by the family members are worth paying attention to, and there is indeed a lot of room for improvement in the safety of the vehicle, which is not only a common issue faced by Wenjie Automobile, but also the entire new energy vehicle company.
Hu Xijin also questioned why the sprinkler truck appeared in the fast lane of the highway? This was undoubtedly a trigger for the accident. He stressed that car safety should first be based on traffic and driving safety, and electric vehicles, as new technologies, should be safer than traditional fuel vehicles.
Safety: Promote the technological progress of new energy vehicles
This tragic car accident undoubtedly sounded a wake-up call for new energy vehicle companies. Although safety performance has always been a major selling point of new energy vehicle publicity, it is clear that there is still a lot of room for improvement from this accident.
As an emerging technology, new energy vehicles do have many shortcomings in terms of safety. For example, battery safety has always been a major problem in the industry. Since the battery is a flammable material, once it leaks or is crushed, it is easy to cause fire and explosion. The body structure of new energy vehicles may also need to be redesigned to ensure that in the event of a violent collision, the occupants still have the necessary living space and escape routes.
These problems are not unsolvable, as long as new energy vehicle companies pay attention to it, they will be able to improve and perfect in future products. Safety is related to the life and property of every consumer, which is a hurdle that must be crossed in the development of new energy vehicles.
In order to truly solve the safety hazards of new energy vehicles, it is far from enough to rely on the efforts of enterprises themselves, and they also need strong support and supervision from the government and all walks of life. For example, the relevant government departments should formulate stricter safety standards for new energy vehicles and increase law enforcement; The public should also actively supervise, investigate the root cause of any safety accident, and promote continuous improvement of the enterprise.