The tiny Fiat 500 now has an EV model set to hit the streets in the spring of 2013. The 2013 Fiat 500e is rated at 108 Highway MPGe Rating and Class-Leading 87 miles of driving range on a full charge. The ERG is not out yet for the Fiat 500e, so keep your eye out. Make sure you also look at a post that covers the body structure of the Fiat 500.
The Nissan Leaf is not a new vehicle that firefighters will encounter on the road. Below are a couple of new images that breakdown Nissan Leaf and gives a little more information.
Below are some posts on the Nissan Leaf:
Nissan Motors ERG
The automotive industry has changed the way first responders approach a motor vehicle accident compared to a decade ago. Air bags are standard equipment, pretensioners are used in second and third row seats, and the seats are starting to resemble a firefighter jet seat with the technology packed into a small package. Situational Awareness is the new catch phrase in the extrication world. First responders must be aware of hazards of a vehicle from bumper to bumper!
For years extrication trainers preached peel away the plastic interior trim to ensure an air bag gas inflator is not in the cut path. However, those days are long gone! What we need to start doing is a quick “trauma assessment” if you will on our vehicles before we make a cut to any pillar or roof structure. Once the interior trim is pulled off palpate any visible nylon air bag curtains close to the metal. Deployed gas inflators statistically do not pose a safety hazard if cut. However, the best stance to take is to never cut through a gas inflator because there is no method available to us to determine if the inflator is still charged.
Occupant sensors in the front seats are devices that measure the distance away from the steering wheel or dash and weigh the occupant to determine if the air bag should be deployed in a crash. Have you ever put your backpack on the passenger seat and notice that the “Air bag Off” light turns on? This is an example of the sensor weighing the load on the seat and determining that the occupant in the seat does not meet the minimum weight for the air bag to deploy in a crash.
Pretensioners
Seatbelt pretensioners tighten the belt a few inches to prevent the occupant from jerking forward in a crash. Pretensioners are mounted in two different methods, to the seat belt retractor located in a body pillar or on the seat structure. Front seat mounted pretensioners are typically mounted to the top of the seat adjustment track. Seat mounted pretensioners will moved the seatbelt buckle and not the seatbelt. A center console usually provides enough protection for first responders not to have to worry about any hazards from charged pretensioners.
Buckle mounted pretensioners uses gas stored in the tube to retract the buckle during certain crashes. Retractor mounted pretensioners like the TRW one in is set off by any electronically fired pyrotechnic charge which retracts the seatbelt by 80mm, which is more than three inches. During the earlier stages of a crash, the pretensioner removes excess slack in the seatbelt to begin effective occupant restraint.
Pretensioners are not reserved for front seat passengers. Many late vehicles like the Volvo have pretensioners in the rear seats. Pyrotechnic pretensioners in the rear seats can be buckle or retractor mounted. Many rear seats that are split into 60/40 seats have a metal tower that is thick and big that holds a high mounted seat belt retractor. This tower is located in the 60% seat or the larger of the two. If the seats are split up into 40/20/40 than the tower is located in the center or 20% seat.
Some vehicles have a pre-collision safety system that includes an electric motor-pyrotechnic pretensioner system. During a pre-collision event like extreme sudden hard braking, an electric motor in the pretensioners retracts the front seatbelts. Once the event stabilizes the electric motor will reverse itself. The pyrotechnic pretensioners function normally and separately from a motor-pyrotechnic pretensioner system.
Load limiting is a safety that is used to minimize belt-inflicted injuries. A basic load limiting feature is sewn into the belt webbing and stitches are designed to break when a certain load is applied to the belt. The belt extends when the stitches come apart and allow the sewn webbing to unfold. A mechanical load limiting device use
Air bags
Air bags entered the automotive market as an air bag in the driver’s steering wheel. In 2011 model year vehicles, 10 different air bags in per vehicle are no longer a feature reserved for expense luxury vehicles. Automakers proudly advertise air bags on the vehicle interior on the steering wheel, bash panel, and pillar trim panels.
Seat Air bags
Seat mounted air bags are not a new hazard facing first
responders. The difference is in the size and numbers of air bags
packaged in a 
seat
are changing. Front seats can have two separate air bags to
protect the occupant during a crash. This number is expected to
increase when centered mounted seat air bags are used. Seat air
bag are located along the outside of seat back frame and the bag is
stored in a deflector called a “Taco” that directs the air bag when
deployed.
Center Mounted Seat Air bag
General
Motors has developed a front center air bag deploys from the
right side of the driver’s seat and positions itself between the front
row seats near the center of the vehicle. The tubular
tethered air bag is designed to act as an energy absorbing cushion
between driver and front passenger in side crashes. The air bag will
also be deployed during a rollover. The center mounted seat air
bag will be in the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse
starting in the 2013 model year. Toyota developed a rear center console
with an air bag that deploys between the rear passenger seats.
Toyota has not put this air bag into production yet, but it is likely to
make into a vehicle platform soon.
Side Air bags
Occupant ejection mitigation is new safety requirement that the automakers must meet by 2017. Side air bags and glazing of side window glass are the methods being tested and engineered into current model vehicles. These air bags will be large volume that can run from A-pillar to D-pillar. The 2011 Grand Caravan has a side impact air bag over nine feet long and is inflated by a stored gas inflator the size of a child’s lunchbox thermos and has over 10,000psi!
2011 Dodge Caravan Side Air bag
Knee Air bags
Knee air bags are typically located underneath the steering wheel on the angled portion of the instrument panel. The knee air bag module is a rectangle box easily package as a complete air bag systems with the gas inflator inside. This helps during installation at the auto plants and allows this system to be used in different vehicles.
Door Air bags
Many luxury auto makers have started installing door air bags. The air bags are typically installed in the center of the door.
Airbelts
The
2011 Ford Explorer was the first production vehicle to have inflatable
rear seat belts. Ford plans to offer inflatable seat belt
technology in vehicles globally in the future. What is important to
remember is the airbelt requires a stored gas inflator store in the
seat. A pioneering company, Moditech, provides current information
on hazards inside and outside the vehicle. Moditech developed the
Crash Recovery System (CRS) and the image below of the 2011 Ford
Explorer.
Key Fobs
Keyless
ignition is nothing new but many automakers are offering the features
on their vehicles. Hyundai offers keyless ignition with a key fob
or smart key that works on proximity. So how do you turn the
car off if there is no key in the ignition? Most vehicles have a
“Start” or “Power” button that is used to switch the ignition from off,
to on, or to ACC. Make sure you the button indicator light is
off. If you see a “READY-ON” light on the display the vehicle is
started. This is very important with hybrid or electric vehicles
because of the quiet operation. An important note, on some
vehicles the “Power” button indicator light turns off when the vehicle
is started. That is why it is important to make sure you do not
see “READY-ON”!
Batteries
First responders are aware of hybrid and plug-in electric batteries inside of the passenger compartment. However, 12-volt batteries can also be found inside of the passenger compartment. For example, the GMC Acadia has the 12-volt battery located in the floor behind the front passenger seat.
Is that vehicle totaled?
Late model vehicles have dozens of safety systems that keep occupants safe during a crash or rollover. Just because the vehicle may look repairable does not necessarily mean it is. Plastic interior trim panels and seat covers are designed to rip or tear when air bags deploys. Seat structures are engineered to distribute the load of an occupant. Seatbelts can have rip stitching to absorb energy from the occupant. Pyrotechnic pretensioners are onetime use. Keep in mind that most of the time in a serious accident the glass is already broken out and the windshield typically has spider marks from the air bags or occupants. Never let the fear of “totaling” a vehicle compromise patient care. Just remember all the hazards mentioned in this article are real and in vehicles.
So just in case you thought that Crash Recovery System by Moditech only helps you avoid hazards in vehicles like ultra high strength steels and airbag inflators take a look at the deactivation procedure for the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster and the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster. One very important point, the Tesla Roadster has an inertia switch, that when activated, cuts off the high voltage circuit. This deactivation procedure is for the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) ie, airbags.
During a collision an inertia switch is activated, which cuts off the high voltage circuit.
Immobilize vehicle:
Deactivate propulsion system:
The emergency disconnect cable should be used as part of the propulsion system deactivation. Is located in the vehicle as indicated. – Cut the indicated cable in the image below. There is a difference between the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable in the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster and the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster. Make sure you become familiar with both!
Below is the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster which is located in the front of the vehicle.
The Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster is located in front of the windshield on the driver side under the hood.
Below is the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster which is located in the rear of the vehicle.
The Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster is located in the rear of the vehicle behind the passenger in the trunk.
So just how many plug-in electric cars are expected to be sold in the U.S. in 2012? (This doesn’t include hybrid vehicle) Last year in the U.S., just under 18,000 electric plug-in cars were sold. Halfway through 2012, here are the projections for the whole year:
| Chevrolet: | 20,000 |
| Nissan: | 15,000 |
| Toyota: | 14,600 |
| Ford: | 3,000 |
| Tesla: | 5,000 |
| BMW: | 700 |
| Mitsubishi: | 1,000 |
| Coda: | 1,000 |
| Honda: | 1,100 |
| Fisker: | 1,000 |
| TOTAL: | 62,400 |
That would easily more than triple the 2011 sales level, but still constitute just under half of 1% of the total U.S. car market in 2012. It would take 140,000 electric plug-in vehicles to make 1% 0f the 2012 U.S. car market. Check out the article on TheStreet.com; 2012 Electric Car Sales Forecast that breaks down the different models per automaker. You can also look at Top 10 Electric Car Makers on CleanFleetReport.com.
If you include hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles the number of vehicles sold increase!
Leave it up to the automakers to have new names for the different types of Hybrid and electric vehicles.
Keep in mind that the hybrid and electric vehicle market closely follows gas prices. When gas prices fall, so do the sales of hybrid and electric vehicles. This demonstrates that while there is consumer interest in hybrid and electric vehicles, demand is heavily influenced by the economic environment, rather than pure interest in the technology. Hybrid and electric vehicle sales are expected to account for 3.2 percent of total light-vehicle in 2012.
The NFPA just released a Emergency Field Guide for sale. The
price is modest at $45 for a print copy. I like to see
extrication field guides hitting the market. There’s a pocket
electric/ hybrid guide getting ready to be released soon. A lot of
rescuers still like to have a printed copy in their hands to flip
through. Hopefully, I can get a copy yo review and provide a
complete review. In the mean time, here’s what the NFPA has to say
about it.
Respond to electric and hybrid vehicle incidents involving damaged high voltage batteries, battery fires, submersion and charging stations with NFPA’s full-color Electric Vehicle Emergency Field Guide, 2012 Edition. It’s packed with color visuals and technical data reviewed by the auto manufacturers!
Learn about everything from vehicle immobilization to disabling high-voltage and SRS systems, conducting safe extrication cuts, and executing vehicle recovery and disposal. The hands-on EV Emergency Field Guide covers:
The Emergency Field Guide is updated as technology changes, so make sure you have the latest!
Compact, spiralbound, and organized for easy access to information, the Electric Vehicle Emergency Field Guide is essential for fire and rescue personnel, EMS technicians, law enforcement, and towing/recovery professionals. Stay safe and be prepared to respond — order today. (Spiralbound, Approx. 145 pp., 2012 Volume 1)
If you noticed in the title’s question – Where’s the High-Voltage Service Disconnects - that disconnects is plural than you understand that the 2012 Ford Focus Electric has more than one! The Electric Focus has an upper battery and lower battery service disconnect, so it also has two High Voltage Batteries. Both are removed in the same fashion. However, to gain access to the lower battery high-voltage service disconnect, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric Emergency Response Guide tells you to raise the rear of the vehicle using a suitable jack. Scratching your head yet? I am! Not too sure how we are going to access the lower disconnect. Make sure you review the ERG and the pictures at the bottom of this post that show both disconnects. Stay safe out there!
| # | COMPONENT | DESCRIPTION/LOCATION | FUNCTION |
| 1 | High-Voltage Service Disconnects | Upper disconnect is located behind the rear seatback. Lower disconnect is below the upper pack near the right hand rear tire. Orange in color with a square body design. Uses a two stage release tab. |
Provides means to disconnect high-voltage batteries for safely servicing vehicle. |
| 2 | High-Voltage Battery | Located behind the rear seatback and under vehicle. Liquid cooled/heated lithium ion. | Provides high-voltage storage for vehicle’s electric motor. |
| 3 | High-Voltage Wiring | Runs along the vehicle’s floorpan from the high-voltage battery to the underhood compartment.
All high-voltage wiring has |
Provides physical connection between high-voltage battery and vehicle’s high-voltage equipment. |
| 4 | 12-Volt Battery | Located under the hood on the driver side of the vehicle.
Typical automotive 6-cell lead/acid design. |
Provides 12-volts for vehicle accessories. |
| 5 | Single Speed Automatic Transmission (Gearbox) | Transverse-mounted design, similar to the non-Electric Focus vehicles.
Attached to the traction motor |
Provides rotational force to the wheels for vehicle propulsion. |
| 6 | DC/DC Converter | Located under the hood on the passenger side, next to the washer solvent reservoir.
Has orange high-voltage wires |
Provides 12 volts to charge the 12-volt battery and run vehicle accessories. |
| 7 | Electric Motor | Liquid cooled 3-phase AC permanent magnet motor.
Attached to gearbox,centrally located in the engine compartment. |
Turns energy from the high-voltage traction battery into movement that is applied to the transmission for vehicle propulsion. |
| 8 | Transmission Control Module (TCM) |
Module located on top of the electric motor.
Hall effect sensor type module. |
The TCM controls the motor/ inverters to produce the desired torque output to the wheels. |
| 9 | Electric Air Conditioning Compressor | Located in front of the motor.
Has an orange high-voltage wire attached to it using an interlock connector. |
Replaces the belt driven air compressor. |
| 10 | PTC Heater (Cabin CoolantHeater) | Located on the RH side of the motor near the DC/DC converter.
Has both low and high voltage electrical connections. |
Used to raise the temperature of the coolant to normal operating temperature |
Upper HV Battery Disconnect
Lower HV Battery Disconnect
Yet another electric vehicle on the road! CODA Automotive re-engineered an existing gasoline-powered vehicle, the Chinese Hafei Saibao. The CODA is a rolling-chassis Chinese sedan with some Chinese-made lithium-ion cells that are installed along with the drivetrain in California. CODA Automotive is a privately held company headquartered in Southern California that designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and lithium-ion battery systems, purpose-built for transportation and utility applications.
AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power, added the CODA sedan to their fleet and will use the vehicle on their gridSMART® Demonstration Project, located in the northeastern part of Central Ohio.
Mercedes-Benz has a 526 horsepower electric drivetrain in the upcoming SLS AMG E-Cell supercar. Power for the E-Cell will be provided by four electric motors. The E-Cell employs a permanent all-wheel drive system which is powered by a 400-volt battery made up of 12 modules of 72 lithium-ion polymer cells. The battery is housed in within the carbon fiber transmission tunnel, which is structurally integrated into the E-Cell’s aluminum body shell. This is a 2013 model year vehicle expected to hit the roads in the fall of 2012.
Emergency
responders in Massachusetts will now have another way to easily
identify electric and hybrid vehicles. Massachusetts has become the
second state to unveil a new license plate for hybrids and electric
vehicles, a move that aligns with the goals with the National Fire
Protection Association’s (NFPA) Electric Vehicle Safety Project.
Read the complete story at FireEngineering.com
Also check out the NFPA‘s website and learn more about NFPA’s electric vehicle training series.
First off, if you haven’t liked the Boron Extrication page on Facebook, please do!
The
2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid is set to hit the US market during the
second half of 2012. The hybrid has a State-of-the-art battery: A
lithium-ion battery supplies the energy to the electric motor. The
compact 220-volt, 1.1 kWh battery is integrated behind the rear bench
seat and weighs less than 80 lb. The battery consists of 60 individual
cells with a combined energy capacity of 5 Ah. The frequency of the
discharge and charge cycles in hybrid operation requires high-
performance battery cooling, which is handled by a fan mounted directly
on the device. The battery also has its own management system that
performs safety, diagnostic, and monitoring functions as well as
temperature management. The battery is disconnected when it‟s not in use
or if the car is involved in a collision.
Standard safety equipment for all Jetta models includes Electronic Stability Control (ESC), anti- lock brakes (ABS), and six airbags (driver and front passenger airbags, front side thorax airbags and Side Curtain Protection® airbags front and rear).
Just like the 2012 Buick LaCrosse, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco shares the same hybrid style system.
Buick Emergency Response Guides:
The Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles are front-wheel drive, five passenger vehicles with a lightly electrified gasoline engine. The eAssist system utilizes a high voltage battery, located in the trunk, as a supplemental power source. The system assists the engine utilizing a high torque belt-driven starter / generator.
The eAssist system features a 130 volt lithium-ion battery, which provides electrical energy to the starter / generator. The high voltage battery assembly is located in the trunk behind the rear passenger seats. The assembly includes several internal components that operate together to provide and control the high voltage for the eAssist system.
There are two separate electrical systems within the eAssist vehicles: low voltage (12 V) and high voltage (130 V). The low voltage system is similar to a conventional vehicle.
Do NOT cut the:
The Chevrolet Malibu Eco is designed to protect the occupants during a collision. The body structure contains high strength steel; this is highlighted in blue. The occupants are protected from front, rear, and side impacts by a structural cage created by the underlying vehicle structural design. Additional crumple zones protect the occupant with front, side, and rear rails that are designed to crush in a crash.
Cut through the low voltage cables on each side of the yellow labels to remove a section of the cable to ensure the cables cannot inadvertently reconnect.
Make sure you read thru the Emergency Response Guides below:
If you are looking for a train the trainer extrication course in the Detroit area, look no further! Brock Archer, Ron Moore (from Firehouse Magazine and the University of Extrication) and myself are teaching a 5 day extrication course. The classroom portion will be at the Ann Arbor Fire Department and the hands on training will be by Detroit Metro Airport. Brock will be bringing his West Coast extrication knowledge to the Motor City! Ron Moore will also be presenting, I have stated this before, every firefighter needs to see Ron present in person! This will be a course that everyone will be talking about!
Check out the flyer below and the course outline and contact me with any questions.
I
posted about a new Extrication book that hit the market in late 2011. I
first noticed the text when Paul Hasenmeier posted a link on Facebook
about it. The author contacted me and sent out a review copy that has
been a staple reading for the last few months. I have worked on
finishing my review of David Sweet’s text Vehicle Extrication: Levels I & II: Principles And Practice
for over a month. Once I settle in on an area of the book that I really
liked, I would end up reading into the next chapter and wanted to
review every chapter. Unfortunately, the information delivered cannot be
summed up in a simple book review. David put his heart and soul along
with nearly 30 years of fire service experience into the book. Below are
some of the highlights you should look for when reading your copy.
Vehicle Extrication, Levels I & II: Principles and Practice can take a beginner firefighter and step by step introduce the core principles behind extrication while exposing advanced operations and techniques. Likewise, even an experienced firefighter can expand their skill set and metal toolbox with all the knowledge contained in this extrication book.
Two unique features of this book are the “Near Miss Reports” and “Voices of Experiences” worked into each chapter. The fire service is very good about making information learned from incidents that run smoothly and even those that try the skills of the responders on scene. The “Voices of Experiences” provide a short insight into an incident that directly relates to the content of the chapter. David used several industry leading contributors to develop to the content. The “Near Miss Reports” help paint a picture of mistakes made on scene and how the we can learn from others sharing their mistakes instead of keeping them private.
The text covers every type of vehicle extrication from late models with high strength steels, heavy commercial, and school buses. In my opinion the text should be named the Encyclopedia of Extrication. Each chapter of the book has “Skill Drills” that has clear pictures the step with very detailed step by step instructions. I doubt that Vehicle Extrication: Levels I & II: Principles And Practice ever makes it to your bookshelf!
You can test drive a whole chapter of the book; Chapter 8: Vehicle Stabilization for free. You can even download the the sample chapter as a pdf.
The very fine folks at Moditech annouced in their latest newsltter that the Crash Recovery System
for Android will be availible in April! The availability of the
Crash Recovery System for different hardware platforms is a declared
objective of Moditech Rescue Solutions B.V. This allows our users
maximum flexibility in selection of the necessary hardware. Among the
CRS editions for different versions of the Microsoft Windows operating
system and the Apps for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad the Crash
Recovery System family will soon become two additional members.
Currently, two apps for devices with the operating system Android are in
the works. CRS Lite for Android will be specifically designed for users
of Android smartphones and will have similar functions as the CRS Lite
Edition and iCRS Lite for iPhone. For users of Android Tablet PCs the
App CRS Standard for Android is under development, covering similar
functions as the CRS and iCRS Standard Editions, joining the vehicle
graphics with extensive illustrated background and deactivation
information.
My trip started off at the Fremont Fire Department Administrative offices for some classroom training. The picture of the hydrant below was a gift from the Recruit Class of 01-1 in appreciation for the time, knowledge and training given. Something I thought was really cool!
I have said this many times on this site. Ron Moore is one fire service instructor you need to see in person whenever you get the chance. Ron has a passion for extrication and informing firefighters with useful knowledge to stay up to date with the continuous changes in vehicle technology. Wednesday was a full day in the classroom where Ron covered airbags, hybrids and electric vehicles, and the advanced steels in vehicle body structures.
Here is a question Ron asked during the airbag portion of class. What is the maximum number of airbags possible in a vehicle? What’s your answer? 9, 12, 15, 25 or infinity. There is no easy answer! Seatbelt airbags, center mounted seat airbags, door airbags, and the list goes on and on! Also remember that the “airbag” advertisement on plastic trim and seats is just that, an advertisement. The location of the airbag and or gas inflator has no direct relation to the advertisement.
The lead instructor, Brock Archer, arranged for a BMW ActiveE electric vehicle to be displayed after lunch for everyone to review and look at. I have a bunch of the pictures of the BMW ActiveE on the Boron Extrication Facebook Page. Make sure you check the images out and if you don’t already like our Facebook page, please do!
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of the West Coast Extrication trip! Part 2 will be on school bus extrication and Part 3 on advanced extrication techniques.
Many automakers have invested time and money in training rescuers how to handle a MVA with an electric or hybrid vehicle. The problem I see is this highly publicized Chevy Volt battery fire resulted from a damaged and leaking battery. There is a GM safety protocol to discharge the HV battery which requires a special tool to drain the Volt’s batteries. That tool is not available to dealers until sometime next year. In the mean time, if the battery is leaking or damaged on a Volt a GM team is sent out to drain the battery. The team has only been sent out to crashes a few times with over 5000 Volts on the road.
Let’s focus on the recent Volt fire after a government crash test. Here’s a quote from an article in the Detroit Free Press:
That Volt caught fire because NHTSA did not know to drain the Volt’s battery. The battery case had been punctured, spilling coolant, which caused a short that in turn triggered a fire, GM spokesman Rob Peterson said Monday.
Ok so if the battery is leaking it could catch on fire. Got it! Please tell me that it doesn’t take a masters in engineering to figure out a HV battery leaking coolant (or anything for that matter) is not good. Should it really be a surprise that after three weeks of coolant leaking out of a “charged” battery caught fire? I hope that automakers address leaking batteries in detail in all future Emergency Response Guides!! Or as Jason Emery was quoted in the Detroit Free Press “automakers lack one consistent fire-prevention procedure for electric vehicle batteries”. Jason is a lead electric-vehicle safety instructor for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
If you respond to an MVA with an electric or hybrid vehicle and the battery is leaking stretch a handline and get the patients out. Make sure you follow the proper procedures outlined in the Emergency Response Guides. I would have greater concerns if the Volt caught on fire within an hour of the crash. What are your thoughts?
The headline that started making the rounds thru the news networks was “Chevrolet Volt catches fire after crash”. Just look at the web search below! What you have to read into the story is the Chevrolet Volt caught fire in storage more than three weeks after a government crash test. That’s right three weeks after the test. The first news report I heard completely left out that it happened three weeks after the test. So what is your first thought, the Volt was crashed and burst into flames. However that was clearly not the case. The fire prompted federal safety regulators to look at safety procedures for electric vehicles after a crash. Not to look at an electric car that burst into flames after a crash test. General Motors has responded to this incident by stating the NHTSA did not follow GM’s recommended safety protocol for a post-crash Volt.
After reading the Chevrolet Volt Collision Awareness Guide and the Hybrid Collision Awareness Guide the only post-crash safety protocol I could was this:
A complete inspection of the high voltage(HV) system and components must be performed if the vehicle has been involved in a collision. The HVCID sensor and/or SIR Deployed vehicle-disable condition will remain active until cleared by the HPCM output control function of the scan tool.
Is there a missing safety procedure out there? General Motors has done a great job getting information about the Volt out to firefighters and other rescue workers. But did I miss a training for the towing and collision industries?
If you have not taken the Electric Vehicle Safety Training for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt training launched by the NFPA, Chevrolet, and OnStar I would do so now. The training features an inside look at the vehicle’s technology and safety systems. Here are some More training resources for the Chevrolet Volt. I have two reason you need to learn more about this vehicle, a motor vehicle crash in your response area could involve a Chevrolet Volt and that same Volt could be towed to a tow yard, collision center, or dealer lot in your response area! Think about it!
Stay Safe!
MiEV is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle and it is a five-door hatchback electric car and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. There is not an Emergency Response Guide (ERG) for the North America version yet because the 2012 model is the first year sold in the United States. The information below is taken from the European market, well the Germany ERG for the 2011 Mitsubishi MiEV. The US version will have some changes, but expect most of the vehicle to remain unchanged. Check back, I’ll post info on the 2012 US model as soon as it is available.
More Mitsubishi rescue data sheet/rescue maps are located here.
The Focus Electric is powered by a 23 kwh high-voltage, lightweight
lithium-ion battery system. It uses an advanced active liquid cooling
and heating process to regulate battery temperature and help maximize
battery life, so you can get the most miles out of each charge.
NFPA, Chevrolet, and OnStar have launched Electric Vehicle Safety Training for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that hit the roads last fall. The training features an inside look at the vehicle’s technology and safety systems. More training resources for the Chevrolet Volt.
The Mini E is not a production vehicle for sale to the public per say. However, 450 Mini E vehicles are currently in a field trial in the United States. There are two areas selected for the trial, Los Angeles and the New York and New Jersey Metro area. The Mini E has about a 156 mile range on a full charge so must of the vehicles will likely stay around those two areas. The Mini E trial is a lease purchase where the vehicles will be brought back BMW/Mini to gather valuable data from real world drivers. Just because there are only a few of the Mini Es out on the road doesn’t mean First Responders should take a few minutes to look at the Mini E Emergency Responder Quick Reference Guide. My hat goes off to BMW/Mini for taking the time to put together an ERG on a vehicle that is basically in the testing phase on the road!
Make sure you also visit the sources of the images in this post. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is working very hard on providing free training for First Responders on the the Electric Vehicle Safety Training website.
Tesla
Motors is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and
sells electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle powertrain
components. If you used PayPal before the company was bought by eBay
than you helped this car company get off the ground running. Elon Musk, a
cofounder of Telsa Motors was also a cofounder of PayPal and Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
UPDATE!!! September 2012
Tesla Motors has really stepped up to the plate to help get extrication based vehicle information out to firefighters and first responders. Tesla Motors enlisted the help of Ron Moore and Brock Archer. Currently, Moore and Brock are working closely with Tesla Motors on an Emergency Response Guide and other training information and medias. Check back soon for more information!
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