U.S. NTSB chair raises safety concerns about heavy electric vehicles

(Reuters) - U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy on Wednesday raised concerns about the increased risk of severe injury and death from heavier electric vehicles on U.S. roads.

She cited a General Motors GMC Hummer EV that weighs over 9,000 pounds, up from about 6,000 pounds for the gasoline version, and the Ford F-150 Lightning EV, which is between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds heavier than the non-electric version.

The heavier weight "has a significant impact on safety for all road users," she said Wednesday in a speech. "We have to be careful that we aren't also creating unintended consequences: more death on our roads."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)