Poor tree. Ditto for the bike rack and the driver of a sideswiped Mazda CX5 that had the misfortune of being in what would otherwise have been a regular fender bender on a downtown Vancouver street this weekend.Bystanders and police allege the driver of what appears to be a Mercedes 350 EQB SUV, attempted to make a getaway after hitting the CX5 by accelerating through the intersection of Bute and Alberni Streets — about a block off Robson near the waterfront — before crashing through a street sign, a bike rack and into a tree that was split in half..Police said it crashed into three other vehicles before coming to rest on the sidewalk after jumping the curb and narrowly avoiding hitting pedestrians. The perpetrators tried to escape the vehicle by running away before they were tracked down and arrested.The driver was later charged with multiple offences including dangerous driving and driving under the influence.Observers noted the “enormous” amount of damage more typical of a highway smash-up given that the incident occurred in what is essentially a residential area which already had reduced speed limits..The real reason for the level of damage, they suggested, is the make and model of the vehicle in question — which photos suggest is a Mercedes EQB 350 series EV SUV which carries a $90,000 sticker price.It also accelerates from 0-100 in 6.2 seconds despite weighing in around 2,200 kg — or more than 4,750 pounds, according to the manufacturer website. That’s almost two-and-a-half tonnes of EV glory, equivalent to the weight of a modern 6X6 dump truck or semi tractor, which are banned on residential roads.“That’s a wild amount of damage for a slow street (or what should be a slow street but this person said f*ck it.),” said one Reddit reader. “Those boulevard trees may have saved lives. They also do their part with climate change and look great. They make the sidewalk cooler and more enjoyable. Embrace boulevard trees. And, as always, never trust a white Tesla (Mercedes).”.The massive weight of EVs — the Tesla Cybertruck weighs more than 3,000 kg or 7,000 pounds — has raised concerns about the safety of the vehicles in standard crashes. In February, the US Engineering and Research Department sponsored a study to determine the effects of a 97 km/hr impact on steel safety guardrails. In it, a Rivian electric pickup truck that weighs about 3,000 kg smashed through a steel guard rail and two sets of concrete barriers.Each is designed to stop vehicles weighing 2,200 kg or 5,000 pounds.It’s not even the worst; the EV Hummer weighs in at a staggering 4,000 kilos or nearly 9,000 pounds.“Quite simply, that truck is a dangerous weapon on the road.“
