A vehicle includes a battery housing, a plurality of batteries, and a door step. The battery housing is disposed in a floor area of the vehicle. The batteries are within the battery housing. The door step is located proximate a side of the battery housing. The door step includes an upper running board with a stepping surface and a lower bottom part that is spaced apart from the upper running board and extends parallel to the upper running board to define at least one chamber therebetween. The lower bottom part includes a central weakened area which extends in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is configured to permit a center region of the door step to buckle upwards in response to a lateral force greater than a predetermined threshold amount of force.