Comparative Analysis of Crush Depth in Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles and Electric Vehicles using Vehicle Crash Test Data

Heejin Kang; Naeun Woo; Deokgyu Kim; Giok Park

doi:10.22680/kasa2026.18.1.127

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2026 Vol.18, Issue 1 Preview Page Next Page

Comparative Analysis of Crush Depth in Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles and Electric Vehicles using Vehicle Crash Test Data 자동차 충돌시험 데이터를 활용한 내연기관차와 전기차 간의 충돌변형량 차이점 고찰

31 March 2026. pp. 127-133

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Abstract

This study analyzes differences in frontal crush depth between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) using 104 full-frontal crash tests conducted at approximately 56 km/h. Residual crush depths at six front-end locations (C1–C6), obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database and three-dimensional scanning data from the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI), were statistically evaluated using the interquartile range (IQR) method. The results show that BEVs exhibit larger median residual crush depth in the central region (C2–C5), while the lateral regions (C1 and C6) display greater residual crush depth variability compared to ICEVs, suggesting differences in load path behavior associated with BEV-specific structural characteristics and limitations in directly applying ICEV-based residual crush depth analysis to BEV accident reconstruction.

Keywords

Vehicle front-end design(차량 전면부 형상)

Residual crush depth(잔류 변형 깊이)

Collision deformation(충돌변형량)

Crumple zone(충격 흡수 구역)

Accident reconstruction(사고재구성)

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Information

Publisher :Korean Auto-vehicle Safety Association
Publisher(Ko) :한국자동차모빌리티안전학회
Journal Title :Journal of Auto-vehicle Safety Association
Journal Title(Ko) :자동차안전학회지
Volume : 18
No :1
Pages :127-133
Received Date : 2026-01-21
Revised Date : 2026-02-09
Accepted Date : 2026-02-11
DOI :https://doi.org/10.22680/kasa2026.18.1.127

Journal of Auto-vehicle Safety Association ISSN:2005-9396(Print) 자동차안전학회지

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