2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Electric vehicles are significantly heavier than their petroleum counterpart, some weighing an additional 3,000 pounds. In addition to the electric vehicles being drastically heavier than petroleum cars, petroleum cars have increased in size which directly correlates with the weight of the vehicle. The average car weighs approximately 650 pounds more today than they did 60 years ago. The additional weight places higher demands on our infrastructure.
As civil engineers, we are counted on to provide safe and secure infrastructure. This work studies the additional weights of current vehicles and its integration into civil engineering university courses.
Faculty were surveyed at 3 institutions. The survey consisted of one 4-pt Likert-type question pertaining to their perceived importance of the topic of vehicle weights and infrastructure. It also included 3 further questions for faculty who have not included this topic in their courses and 5 further questions for faculty who had included this topic in their courses. The remaining questions were on the topic areas of applicable courses and teaching methods.
The results are shared and combined with suggestions of civil engineering courses that align well and incorporation ideas. Courses of interest for incorporation include Mechanics of Materials, Transportation Systems, Computational Structural Analysis, and Reinforced Concrete Design. Teaching methods suggestions include case studies, simulation projects material comparison, bridge design, impact studies, predictive modeling and cost-benefit analysis.