As EV sales grow, battle over U.S. road weight limits heats up

A worker parks a Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle at Waymo's operations center in the Bayview district of San Francisco, California, U.S. October 19, 2021. Picture taken October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva

(Reuters) - Car haulers are pushing the Biden administration and lawmakers to increase truck weight limits on U.S. highways so they can transport more heavy electric vehicles, a move fiercely opposed by the rail industry and safety advocates who say the heavier loads are significantly more dangerous.

Even before a recent spike in EV sales, U.S. roads have been carrying heavier loads, as cars and trucks climbed from an average of 3,200 pounds (1,451 kilos) to 4,200 pounds over the last four decades, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.