EVs and SUVs not to blame for pothole crisis, say experts
SUVs and EVs are being unfairly blamed for being a major cause of road damage, experts say, as the state of Tarmac across the UK continues to deteriorate.
Over the past nine years, the mean average kerb weight of new cars has increased by almost 400kg, from 1553kg to 1947kg.
Last year, the average weight of cars road tested by Autocar was 2024kg. Of the 73 cars tested, the most common body type by far was SUVs and the most common fuel type electric.
This increase in weight, allied to the growth in the numbers of SUVs and EVs, has led critics of the vehicles to accuse them of damaging roads, and some city councils, including those of London and Cardiff, to consider imposing additional parking charges on them.
In a recent blog published by the Institute of Civil Engineers, Elizabeth Orchard, director of infrastructure consultancy Endelevu, claimed that EVs are a factor in the formation of potholes.
“Roads are designed to withstand a certain number of heavy vehicles during their lifetime,” she wrote. “As vehicles – especially EVs – become heavier, the wear per vehicle increases. More damage occurs more quickly, reducing the lifespan of the road.”
However, Ali Rahman, assistant professor at the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, believes some criticism overstates the damaging effects of such vehicles.
“We don’t want to blame only heavier cars for the damage,” he said. “The fourth power law shows that road damage increases proportionately with axle load. If, for instance, a vehicle’s axle load doubles, the damage to the road doesn’t double but increases by about 16 times.
“Heavy goods vehicles [HGVs] are the principal cause of road damage. One HGV can cause the same damage as many thousands of car journeys.
“Combined with other factors acting together – climate change, water ingress and delays in road maintenance – it is why SUVs and EVs cannot be singled out for damaging roads.”
In March, the Asphalt Industry Alliance said local authorities in England and Wales faced a record £18.62 billion backlog of carriageway repairs that would take 12 years to clear.
It added that 16% of local roads – equivalent to more than 32,500 miles – were reported to have less than five years’ structural life remaining.
Later in the year, the government announced a £7.3 billion spending package for roads maintenance over four years to 2030. It also tightened the rules around how councils spend the money to ensure it’s used effectively.
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