Battery safety: Safe handling of the battery in the electric vehicle

(ev) high voltage electric vehicles are showing increasing battery range and their number on the road is increasing. Since electric cars are equipped with (ev) high voltage batteries, battery safety is an important issue. For example, rescue workers must keep self-protection in mind when rescuing people from electric cars involved in accidents. But companies involved in the maintenance and repair of electric vehicles also need to prepare their skilled personnel for the upheaval in the automotive industry with (ev ) high voltage training.

Recognizing and handling (ev) high voltage batteries at the scene of an accident

First responders and accident victims will come into contact with electric vehicles more and more often – sometimes without realizing at first glance that it is a high-voltage vehicle. It is important to clearly identify electric vehicles with traction batteries. Externally, (ev) high voltage batteries can be identified by the orange insulation of their leads and warning labels. For improved safety, high-voltage batteries are subjected to a leak test in production after sealing.

The best protection: intrinsic safety plus (ev) high voltage competence

Electric vehicles have a high level of battery safety ex works. For example, the materials for cathodes, anodes, electrolytes and separators in electric car batteries are designed for effective overcharge protection and flame retardancy. In addition, the (ev) high voltage battery is housed in a separate mechanical and thermal enclosure. In the event of an accident with airbag deployment, the battery contactors open automatically, interrupting the flow of current to the outside. The basic intrinsic safety of the (ev) high voltage battery provides very good protection for the end user as well as workshop employees. A high-voltage qualification such as a high-voltage sensitization in accordance with DGUV I 200-005 Level 1 makes a significant contribution to the safe handling of the battery in the electric car.

(ev) high voltage batteries penetrate everyday life

Electric cars are already part of everyday life for towing companies, car washes and car recyclers. But authorities such as police and customs also come into contact with (ev) high voltage batteries in electric and hybrid cars. These groups of people should know where the energy storage device is located in a model and how to read the rescue data sheet. Batteries from crashed electric cars should be stored at ground level in a well-ventilated area clearly marked with a warning label. Damaged (ev) high voltage batteries can re-ignite even after hours, therefore appropriate fire protection measures must be taken in the storage area. The greater the battery range, the greater the energy content of a battery and thus the greater the importance of battery safety. This is the reason why in production and handling such an immense part of the manufacturer’s effort falls on the point of electrical safety.

PS: Our recommendation here: There are also courses offered by various providers, such as the aforementioned course “Specialist high voltage (ev)” or also the small course for the specialist instructed person for high voltage. More information about this can be found on our homepage
www.tcs-engineering.de
 We offer various open seminars as well as customer-specific in-house seminars.

Our free(REALLY free, even WITHOUT having to provide an email address!) paper “6 Things You Need to Know About High-Voltage Qualification of Your Employees in Advance” can be accessed here (click) .

If you want to know more about the different roles, especially those of the responsibilities and especially those of the CRES and their interaction, I recommend our publications, for example the audio book “The chief responsible electrical specialist: CRES structure and operational electrical safety for entrepreneurs, specialists and managers”. Information and sources of supply can be found on the usual audio book portals as well as on the homepage tcs-engineering.de