Quick overtaking is a safety feature of EVs, says Stellantis CEO

The new EV platform can accommodate dual-motors, all-wheel-drive powertrain, which will be able to achieve a 0-100 km/h time of just 2 seconds.

In a recent interview, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, stated how the quick overtaking ability of EVs, mainly due to their blistering acceleration, is a safety feature.

Defending his statement, Tavares mentioned a situation where this would be useful. He stated, "I am living on a farm in the deep countryside of Portugal, and I often drive on the small roads around here. The acceleration power is first a matter of safety. It is first a matter of overtaking in safe conditions, making sure that you can change lanes, you can overtake a truck on a two-lane road. So, it is not necessarily about speed. It's about acceleration power to overtake in safe conditions, and we are very happy that the electric vehicles carry that kind of capability."

Coming back to EVs and their acceleration, Tavares stated, "And there is nothing more difficult than starting to overtake a truck and then having to jump on the brakes because you just discovered that the acceleration of the car you’re driving is not good enough to overtake in safe conditions. So, you jump back on the brakes, and you go back behind the truck. The acceleration capability for us is first a safety measure. The more acceleration you have, the safer the conditions under which you overtake can be, and from that perspective, the BEV technology is great as we all know.”

The statement comes following the unveiling of Stellantis' all-new STLA Large platform. The new EV platform can accommodate dual-motors, all-wheel-drive powertrain, which will be able to achieve a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of just 2 seconds.

Source: TopGear