EVs That Offer Advanced Safety Systems

Here’s a look at the latest life-saving crash avoidance technology and which EVs feature them as standard or optional equipment.

With electric vehicles already being among the most technologically advanced rides on the road, it should come as no surprise that most offer an array of high-tech safety systems. Some will warn a motorist to react potential problems, while the best of them can actually take control of the braking and/or steering systems to prevent hitting another vehicle, or even pedestrians and bicyclists in a vehicle’s path.

Utilizing a variety of sensors and cameras to monitor the road, such features provide the building blocks for tomorrow’s self-driving cars. They’re also the basis for semi-autonomous driving systems currently available in Tesla models and the Nissan Leaf.

Here (in alphabetical order) is a quick overview at what are considered the most-essential crash warning and avoidance systems, and which electric vehicles currently offer them:

Adaptive Cruise Control

This high-tech twist on a familiar automotive technology represents a first step toward tomorrow’s fully autonomous cars. The system utilizes forward-looking sensors to maintain both a vehicle’s set speed and a chosen distance from the traffic ahead, automatically operating the throttle and brakes to slow down and speed up accordingly.

Standard: Honda Clarity Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X.

Optional: BMW i3, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Jaguar i-Pace, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf.

Blind-Spot Warning

Here, sensors or cameras will trigger an alert if there’s another car to the side and rear of the vehicle the driver might not otherwise be able to see in a side mirror. Typically, a warning light illuminates at either side of the dashboard whenever another vehicle is in the motorist’s blind spot, and the system will issue an audible alarm if the driver engages the turn signal. Some will likewise issue an audible warning if there’s cross-traffic approaching when backing out of a garage or parking space. The Honda Clarity Electric features a LaneWatch system that provides a video view of the passenger’s side of the road whenever the right turn signal is engaged.

Standard: Honda Clarity Electric (Honda LaneWatch), Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X.

Optional: Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Jaguar i-Pace, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf.

Forward Collision Warning/Forward Auto-Braking

This system uses sensors or cameras to monitor the distance between a vehicle and traffic or other obstructions in its path. Basic systems will engage an alert if it determines the car is closing in at a potentially hazardous rate of speed. More effective systems will automatically apply the brakes to avoid hitting another vehicle or obstruction (or at the least lessen its effects) if the driver isn’t reacting quickly enough. Most forward auto-braking systems operate at higher vehicle speeds with the intent of saving lives, though some vehicles also offer low-speed units that are designed to prevent “fender bender” crashes in stop-and-go traffic.

Standard: Honda Clarity Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X.

Optional: BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Jaguar i-Pace, Volkswagen e-Golf.

Lane Departure Warning

Designed to keep a vehicle from inadvertently wandering into an adjacent lane, lane departure warning systems use cameras to monitor highway lane markers and will trigger an alert if the car is crossing them unless the turn signals are engaged. More advanced systems will use braking and/or steering intervention to help “nudge” a wandering car back into the center of a lane if its drifted onto or across the markers.

Standard: Honda Clarity Electric, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X.

Optional: Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf.

Lane Keeping Assist

Some models come a step closer to autonomous driving by making automatic steering adjustments to help keep a vehicle centered within highway lane markers or to prevent the vehicle from running off the road.

Standard: Honda Clarity Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Jaguar i-Pace, Kia Niro EV, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X.

Optional: Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf.