- Germany’s ADAC auto club tested electromagnetic fields in electric cars
- Results suggest that radiation exposure is not a risk
- DC fast charging is also not a problem
There have been a number of social media posts and YouTube videos trying to get views with bold claims that driving an electric car exposes passengers to “unhealthy” levels of radiation due to their battery packs and motors emitting extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation, sometimes called ‘electrosmog’.
Guess what? It turns out there’s very little to worry about, because Germany’s ADAC auto club, Europe’s largest car association, recently tested 11 electric vehicles while driving and charging to see what kind of radiation they emit.
The study, which was commissioned by Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection, looked at dolls placed in the driver and passenger seats of 11 modern electric cars, along with several hybrid and ICE vehicles.
These test subjects were fitted with probes and sensors to see which body parts were exposed to radiation hazards, if any. The results were quite conclusive, with any short spikes in the magnetic fields produced by the electrified powertrains falling well below recommended limits.
What’s more, any elevated readings occurred mainly in the vehicle’s footwells, not near sensitive brains, torsos or pacemakers, potential problems that have been touted by a few EV skeptics in the past.
Surprisingly, Germany’s ADAC found that heated seats actually produced some of the strongest electromagnetic readings in the test, and that was true not only in electric cars, but also in plug-in hybrids and even the lone combustion model in the study, according to CarScoops.
However, predictably, these readings were still nowhere near the recommended safety thresholds and proved no threat to the passengers.
Don’t panic, plug it in
The study went on to test electromagnetic fields around both AC and DC charging sites and concluded that faster DC charging actually produced weaker electromagnetic fields than its slower AC counterparts.
Regardless, all charging sessions still fell safely within recommended guidelines, despite some spikes in readings the moment a charging session begins.
Chinese EV makers have also been keen to dispel any myths surrounding electromagnetic fields and electric vehicles, with the China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) conducting several research projects into the safety of charging and operating electric vehicles.
Its own research has found that more than 20 of China’s top electric vehicles run at only 1%-1.3% of China’s national standard safety limit for radiation exposure, which has been found to be less than some competing internal combustion engine cars, according to Car News China.
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