Australasia's independent voice on vehicle safety, ANCAP, has today stressed the importance of ensuring the future of the Australian vehicle fleet is both safe and green, reminding consumers, fleets, the automotive industry and policy- makers that environmental targets should not come at the cost of safety.
"It is clear more needs to be done to encourage the supply of alternative-powered vehicles to help reduce emissions and create a cleaner and sustainable Australia. With this, we want to remind consumers, fleet buyers, governments and the industry that the maintenance of high levels of safety must also remain a key factor," said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg.
"We know safety and environmental performance are top-of-mind considerations for the majority of new car buyers today, and pleasingly ANCAP has seen high levels of safety performance continue to flow through our ratings when evaluating the mix of electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicle models."
"To help accelerate this demand and build confidence among consumers that they don't need to sacrifice safety when it comes to choosing an alternative-powered vehicle, ANCAP is prioritising the testing and rating of these vehicles as part of our routine star rating program. We've also released a quick-reference consumer guide listing the range of alternative-powered models rated by ANCAP together with a summary of their safety performance."
ANCAP's encouragement of new safety technologies has resulted in economic benefits* of in excess of $440 million over the period 2019 to 2021 through fewer crashes causing fatalities, serious injuries and vehicle damage. The high levels of safety provided in the alternative-powered vehicle models available in our market to date – carrying through the high levels of safety offered by traditional petrol and diesel models – has helped contribute to this significant saving.
"It is critical that initiatives to promote uptake of alternative-powered vehicles do not undermine the safety of Australia's vehicle fleet, and we're calling on all levels of government to ensure subsidies and incentives are only provided to models that offer the highest levels of safety."
"'We're on the cusp of seeing a number of lower-cost EVs arrive in our market. Adopting a sensible approach reinforces to the industry – existing and new market entrants – that high levels of safety are expected with any and all new alternative-powered models that are on their radar for potential release into our market," said Ms Hoorweg.
ANCAP's complete consumer guide, Safe and Green, is available at www.ancap.com.au/safeandgreen.
Consumers researching their next new car can also view, sort and refine ANCAP safety rating information based on powertrain on the ANCAP website.
* Based on the fitment of just three key vehicle safety features (autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane support systems (LSS) and centre airbags) - Independent economic analysis conducted by Economic Connections, 2022.
EDITORS NOTE
To ensure safety is not compromised for those wanting to buy an alternative-powered vehicle, additional aspects are evaluated in ANCAP assessments to confirm battery and hybrid electric vehicles don't pose unique risks such as battery rupture or electrical hazards to the occupants or first responders following a crash.
Concessions for safety specification or safety performance are not provided, with all vehicles tested and rated by ANCAP – regardless of power source – required to meet minimum performance thresholds for occupant protection, vulnerable road user protection, and the ability to avoid a crash through advanced collision avoidance technologies.