It’s not top of the list of most buyers considering a new car but crashworthiness – how well the car stands up in an impact – is a big issue for vehicle manufacturers.
Sure, some buyers will want to know that their new purchase has a five-star crash rating and a decent collection of airbags and safety features, but that’s a bit like an insurance policy... Something you want to have but don’t ever intend using.
What you get by way of safety features in a modern car is usually a string of TLAs – three-letter acronyms [Ed: they're not strictly acronyms, but let's move on] – that identify clever electronic guardian angels which help you brake and steer properly and stay out of the ditch. If you still manage to crash, they'll help you survive the experience.
It’s been estimated that up to half the cost – and weight – of a modern car is involved with either active (avoiding the crash) or passive (surviving the crash) safety features. Indeed, for decades now thousands of really clever engineers have devoted themselves to making cars safer.
But there are new cars coming onto the market that introduce new hazards to victims of road traffic collisions. We're talking about electric-hybrid and pure electric-powered vehicles.
Since 2002 a small but steady number of petrol-electric Toyota Prius hybrids have been sold Down Under. More recently, the locally-built Camry Hybrid has gone on sale; for a while Honda's Civic and Insight hybrids have been filtering onto Australian roads as have hybrids from Lexus.
Looking ahead Holden’s range-extended plug-in Volt arrives Down Under next year but pure electric cars are here -- Mitsubishi’s iMiev and Telsa's Roadster are on sale, the Nissan LEAF is on the road and Renault's ZE is alos a 2012 starter. Local operation Blade is busy converting conventional cars.
A QUESTION OF SAFETY
So, just how safe are this growing crop of hybrid and electric cars when it all goes wrong?
Primarily at issue are both the significant voltages these cars use for propulsion and the risk posed by damage to their large battery-packs – not just to the car’s occupants, but also to Good Samaritan bystanders who might try to render aid, and also to Emergency Services workers.
The new generation of cars like Mitsubishi’s iMiev and Nissan’s LEAF run on electrical systems that involve more than 300 volts delivered from battery packs that sit in the floor, under the rear seat and in the boot. Other designs will doubtless fit ever more, ever more powerful batteries as technology improves the range.
Hybrid cars compound the issues, adding a conventional petrol (and eventually diesel) engine into the mix.
What’s the problem? Well, crashing any car hard enough can cause components to break free, deform or break with the risk of leakage. Petrol and oil are bad enough but through years of development, engineers have become very good at protecting not just the fragile human cargo, but also the fuel and oil lines -- and keeping the 12-volt electrical system away from them.
While a spark from a 12V battery is more than enough to ignite split petrol (or LPG) in practice these incidents are rare. Nonetheless, almost the first action a fire fighter will take at the scene of a crash is to disconnect the car’s 12-volt earthing cable.
But in the case of the new electric cars never mind a spark to ignite fuel -- a loose bit of cable attached to 300-400 volts can deliver a significant – even fatal – electric shock.
WORK IN PROGRESS
At the outset it must be said that hybrid and electric cars are generally quite expensive and tend to be driven in cities or suburban areas by older, more conservative drivers and are relatively unlikely to be involved in serious crashes. In addition, the manufacturers – certainly the mainstream ones anyway – have taken a great deal of trouble to design safety into the cars from where the rubber meets the road and upwards.
As can be seen in the accompanying video, conventional Euro NCAP crash tests of several electric cars all returned five-star safety results under identical conditions to those applied to conventional new cars. The LEAF, Focus, Volvo V60 and Lexus CT200h all achieved five-stars from Euro NCAP.
Chevrolet, maker of the car we will know as the Holden Volt, has also taken seriously the special hazards posed by electric cars involved in crashes. In the USA, it devised a special roadshow that exposed the car to major emergency service facilities all around the United States. The information made available there will become available in Australia as, and when, the Volt goes on sale locally.
Manufacturers of electric vehicles have all compiled detailed safety plans and make available information to safety authorities on how best to deal with a crashed hybrid or electric powered vehicle.
The local Blade electric car has a simple one-page info-sheet which details: where batteries, cables and isolation switches are to be found; how to deal with a damaged Lithium-ion battery; and warns that the body may remain live for 30 seconds – and the airbag system for 45 seconds – after the batteries have been isolated.
In contrast, Mitsubishi have compiled a detailed 25-page electric car safety manual and made it available to the Australasian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO), the local peak body in Australasia for "the development and exchange of information, knowledge and skills in road rescue.”
ARRO is a not-for-profit organisation and its fee-paying membership is drawn from individuals and organisations in the emergency services that attend road crashes, such as Fire, State Emergency and Ambulance Services across the country. (Among other things, ARRO also organises an annual world championship competition for Road Rescue Squad professionals).
In Victoria, Road Rescue services are provided by 145 trained crews derived from the CFA, SES, MFB and two regional independent units, the Echuca-Moama and Shepparton Search & Rescue Squads. SES crews make up the vast majority of Road Rescue emergency response units. These units are trained, equipped and accredited to perform the many necessary tasks at sometimes gruesome road crash scenes.
The trouble is, it can take a long time for these specialists to reach those scenes. In the interim, bystanders, first-aiders and the nearest local fire brigade are likely to become involved and there’s not a lot of freely-available information on safely dealing with a crashed electric vehicle.
OFFICIAL COMMENT
In compiling this article, the Victorian SES assured us that all of its members “…are trained to handle hydro and electric vehicles that have crashed”
This is good to know, but as we’ve never seen a hydro-car, we’re a little unconvinced. As we’re not SES members, however, the service's media unit refused to give us any details.
Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade told motoring.com.au: “MFB is concerned for firefighter safety when attending hybrid vehicle crashes; in particular the issue of isolating the high voltage power supply. A set of clear procedures has been developed to manage such incidents and include removing keys from ignition, turning off the power supply and removing fuses.
"As vehicle power can be maintained for some time after power has been turned off, firefighters are warned to always proceed with caution.”
The Victorian CFA suggests that its 1200-odd brigades, which collectively have over 60,000 volunteers, are training firefighters to deal with these special new hazards, though the process will take a long time. In the meantime, the championship-winning Werribee Road Accident Rescue unit is as good as it gets and services a vast area.
Road Rescue teams aim to get to an urban car crash within 20 minutes of being turned out and within 40 mins to a rural crash.
What is obvious though, is that a crashed electric or hybrid car should NOT be touched if it’s sustained damage which could have damaged the high-voltage system.
Each car design has emergency cut-off switches – but in most cases, a door, bonnet or boot needs to be opened to get to them – which means touching the bodywork of the crashed car. And even once the switch is turned off, the body can remain potentially dangerous for a long time.
If the car is wet for any reason, simply going near it could be dangerous.
So, current advice is that if the key can’t be turned off or if you have any indication that the car has suffered an impact severe enough to damage its high-voltage systems, it shouldn’t be touched. If any occupants can’t free themselves, describe the scene and circumstances to the 000 operator and take their advice.
WHAT TO DO IN AN EV ACCIDENT
So, what action can you take at the scene of a hybrid or electric vehicle crash?
Clearly, preservation of human life is paramount, so making the scene safe from further injury – including to bystanders and yourself - is step one. Stop or slow traffic in a safe manner and alert other drivers that a crash has occurred.
Delegate someone to call 000. The Emergency Services will need to know the exact location and what services (Police, Ambulance or Fire) are required. If in doubt, ask for all of them.
For hybrid and electric cars, there is a significant danger of electric shock if the vehicle’s propulsion unit has been damaged and the 000 operator needs to know that.
High-voltage cables in electric and hybrid cars are orange, while yellow cables are usually part of the air-bag & belt pretension systems; under no circumstances should any be cut -- nor even touched -- if they’re exposed.
If possible, attract the attention of the car’s occupants or reach through the window and make sure the ignition key is turned off completely. Toyota hybrids have a ‘Ready’ light on the dash when the system’s on.
Even with the power switched off, the vehicle’s body may be electrically 'live'. Mitsubishi suggest that the body be considered live for a full five minutes after the system has been isolated.
Be aware that if the car’s sustained heavy damage, the battery-pack may have ruptured. Whatever leaks out may be alkaline, acidic or neutral, may be gel or watery and may emit any number of gasses, mostly unpleasant or dangerous.
If necessary, be ready to contain any leaking fluid. The experience gained in making sandcastle walls to hold back the tide on the beach every summer holiday will suddenly be very important.
Mitsubishi warns: “Any fluid leaking from the main battery could be flammable electrolyte, which is clear and colourless and has a slightly sweet odour with a similar viscosity to water.
“If electrolyte comes in contact with skin, wash the area with water immediately. If the electrolyte gets into anyone’s eyes, don’t rub them and flush with a large quantity of fresh water immediately.”
If the car’s occupants are in no immediate danger, keep people away from the car until emergency services arrive. The officer in charge will want to know what happened, what actions were taken, by whom and when.
If people are injured, dial 000. Talking to an expert by phone will allow you to describe the exact circumstances so they can talk you through appropriate steps to take. But they will always want to ensure that no further casualties result from any post-crash action or well-meaning intent.
Remember, the first life you save might be your own.
RAR – THE SPECIAL FORCES OF THE ROAD
What’s special about a Road Accident Rescue (RAR) team? Besides vehicle-specific training and lots of practice in dealing with all manner of vehicular incidents, RAR teams will have special equipment just for dealing with crashed electric vehicles.
Among this gear will be:
>>Insulating protection clothing (minimum 400V voltage resistance) including Rubber insulating gloves and rubber soled insulating footwear.
Solvent resistance gloves or heavy-duty rubber gloves and eye protection, for use if electrolyte is leaking from the main battery.
Absorption mat or sand effective on fuel, oil to absorb any electrolyte leakage.
A fire extinguisher suitable for flammable liquid and/or electrical equipment fires.
Circuit tester for checking if the electrical circuit is damaged.
While at a hybrid or EV crash scene, the RAR team will:
>>Wear insulated Personal Protective Equipment, solvent resistant or heavy-duty rubber gloves and eye protection;
Not touch any exposed high voltage wiring cables, any disconnected or protective covers or high voltage components that might be damaged.
>>Seek to isolate the car’s electrical system; information on how to do this will be available by phone or radio from a 24/7-control centre, which can call up schematics and emergency protocols on screen.