Electric vehicles represent a complete different technology compared with internal
combustion engines. This means that new safety hazards, mainly related to the
characteristics of high-power electric equipment, may be present.
The electric vehicle system shall be designed to operate safely in all conditions; a
number of specific problems will be treated, concentrating on aspects of vehicle
behaviour which are typical for electric vehicles. At this moment the standards and
official regulations concerning electric road vehicles are not very clearly defined.
The existing documents and standards are far from harmonised, and they cover a
vehicle in full technological evolution. Another aspect is the psychological
awareness of these “new” risks: the presence of high voltages or of battery chemicals
may used as an argument against electric vehicles; the fact that internal-combustion-
engined vehicles present large risks too is often overlooked, people having get used
to the danger.