Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 22

Cooling an 800-volt
battery requires
lots of water,
possibly 500 to
8,000 gallons.

In 2019, the Audi e-tron became the first batteryelectric vehicle to earn IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ award.

CRASH continued from p. 19
or airbag-inflation cylinders reside) and
where tough, high-strength steel loops
are in the doors and roof. And obviously,
they use all the standard safety protocols
for passenger extraction.
Step 4: Locating the battery
Hybrid-vehicle batteries are smaller than
those in pure electrics and are located
differently. Hybrids sometimes have batteries behind or under seats, in the trunk
or in central floor tunnels. Pure electrics
generally have huge underfloor batteries
to ensure 200 or more miles of range.
22

shift * november 2019

Step 5: Determining whether the battery
is damaged
Responders start with a visual examination.
Has the battery case been punctured or
crushed? Has it been immersed in a body
of water? Has it been exposed to a fuel
fire? Is the battery hot? Can they hear it
popping? Finally, they tip the vehicle onto
its side and check the battery with a thermal imaging camera, looking for hot spots.
Step 6: Cooling the battery
Cooling an 800-volt battery requires lots
of water, possibly 500 to 8,000 gallons.
Responders should secure a large supply
of water early in an EV event. Is the battery

venting hot vapor? Responders may need
self-contained breathing apparatus. They
must not cut or crush the battery. This could
cause a thermal runaway, where short-circuited cells heat adjacent cells in the battery pack. The battery must be at ambient
temperature for at least 45 minutes before
releasing the vehicle for transport.
Step 7: Storing the damaged vehicle
Experts recommend that vehicles that
have been submerged, burnt or severely
crashed be stored at least 50 feet from
any structures or other vehicles, in case
of a battery fire propagating, even hours
after cooling. ■



Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019

Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - Intro
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - Cover1
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - Cover2
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 3
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 4
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 5
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 6
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 7
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 8
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 9
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 10
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 11
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 12
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 13
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 14
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 15
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 16
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 17
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 18
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 19
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 20
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 21
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 22
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 23
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 24
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 25
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 26
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 27
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 28
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 29
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 30
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - Cover3
Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - Cover4
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