Eagle County, CO New Prius Fleet-Employee concern, getting hit from behind & battery

hb06 · 03-14-2007, 12:19 PM

"I wonder what would happen in an accident, especially with the battery being in the trunk of the car,” Preytis said. “They are small and if it gets hit by any of the large trucks or huge SUVs on the road, that could be really bad.”

"How safe it is to have the battery in the trunk of the car was cause for concern among other finance department employees."

"Their worries are not completely unfounded, said Steve Zeder from Big Horn Toyota, the dealership that won the bid to provide the 20 Priuses."

“If the battery of the Prius is damaged in an accident, emergency crews need to be aware the battery is hazardous material,” Zeder said. “That is the same for any other car, but it is probably more likely to be a factor with the Prius because being hit from behind on the rear side is more common.”

Updated link 3/15/07
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17610769/

priusenvy · 03-14-2007, 12:34 PM

This is just stupid.

In an accident, I'd be a hell of a lot more worried about that eleven gallons of highly flammable, explosively combustible liquid in the gas tank rather than the battery. Just based on how far it can move your car it has to contain over 100x more energy than the battery.

tripp · 03-14-2007, 02:35 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Mar 14 2007, 11:34 AM) [snapback]405463[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

This is just stupid.

In an accident, I'd be a hell of a lot more worried about that eleven gallons of highly flammable, explosively combustible liquid in the gas tank rather than the battery. Just based on how far it can move your car it has to contain over 100x more energy than the battery.
[/b]

A bit more. A gallon of gasoline has about 35 kWh (123 MJ) of energy stored up in it. Of course, a typical ICE wastes about 80% of that energy as heat and still gets a ways down the road on a full tank.

I'd be much more worried about getting killing in a roll over in an SUV and getting roasted by the battery in a Prius. Esp in CO where SUVs litter the highway during a good snow storm and quite a few of them roll.

JimN · 03-14-2007, 11:50 PM

Based on some real world experience by PC members I don't think anyone has to worry about exploding batteries in an accident.

However, one does need to be careful not to knock over the burning Sterno cans when driving through the convenience store.

Bill Merchant · 03-15-2007, 02:48 AM

I sent the county a link to the Prius Emergency Response Guide, and congratulated them on their wise choice.

donee · 03-16-2007, 07:26 PM

Hi All,

I may be wrong on this, but I though the first use of fuel bladders was in Vietnam error American Helicopters. The bladers would not burst open with impact into the ground. Giving the crew a chance at surviving. Later, these bladders were mandated for many car racing series.

The Prius fuel bladder, and location of the tank ahead of the rear axle would make it very safe in a rear impact.

The Prius battery has a ground fault interupter (just like your bathroom should have), which isolates the battery in the metal box, if there is any current flowing to chasis. So, a cut feed wire will instantly disconnect the battery from the feed cables.

The most hazardous thing in the back of a Prius may be the auxiliary lead-acid battery. Its located all the way back and outboard. It has reasonable current capacity to cause some smoke.

DFWPrius · 03-16-2007, 10:33 PM

Self sealing fuel tanks were used in WWII, many US aircraft had them. Most other did not.

Self sealing fuel tanks are nothing more then fuel bladers mounted inside a tank.

Only the bladers were made up of diffrent layers that when exposed to gas and each
other bonded back together.

CraigCSJ · 03-19-2007, 09:58 AM

"How safe it is to have the battery in the trunk of the car was cause for concern among other finance department employees."

I was in my Prius, stopped at a light. A small truck hit me from behind, no skid marks and witnesses estimated the speed at around 50 mph. My Prius was totalled, as it hit a car in front after the original rear impact. The large battery wasn't close to being damaged. There is a crush zone for what seems like about one foot, then stiffer. I wasn't injured, and any concern about the large battery in a crash should evaporate after this "test".

CraigCSJ

John in LB · 03-19-2007, 10:10 AM

With all of the Prius' running around, this issue would have become a concern real quick if it had any basis.

In addition to the energy content of the battery being very limited, it is a solid pack with no liquid acids involved.

There is no basis for concern here.

Texas911 · 03-19-2007, 10:26 AM

When I got my Prius, my friends came up with all sorts of misinformed questions about it. Like how long do I plug it in at night. But one of them said that I'd better not get in an accident because the EMS will not go near a wrecked Prius because they feared being electrocuted! Man, who perpetuates all this nonsense? I asked him how the EMS felt about entering a car with explosive gasoline, and he just shut up.

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03-14-2007, 12:19 PM	#1
hb06 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 480 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	"I wonder what would happen in an accident, especially with the battery being in the trunk of the car,” Preytis said. “They are small and if it gets hit by any of the large trucks or huge SUVs on the road, that could be really bad.” "How safe it is to have the battery in the trunk of the car was cause for concern among other finance department employees." "Their worries are not completely unfounded, said Steve Zeder from Big Horn Toyota, the dealership that won the bid to provide the 20 Priuses." “If the battery of the Prius is damaged in an accident, emergency crews need to be aware the battery is hazardous material,” Zeder said. “That is the same for any other car, but it is probably more likely to be a factor with the Prius because being hit from behind on the rear side is more common.” Updated link 3/15/07 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17610769/

03-14-2007, 12:34 PM	#2
priusenvy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Posts: 1,758 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	This is just stupid. In an accident, I'd be a hell of a lot more worried about that eleven gallons of highly flammable, explosively combustible liquid in the gas tank rather than the battery. Just based on how far it can move your car it has to contain over 100x more energy than the battery.

03-14-2007, 11:50 PM	#4
JimN Certified Prius Advisor Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Jersey Posts: 2,199 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Based on some real world experience by PC members I don't think anyone has to worry about exploding batteries in an accident. However, one does need to be careful not to knock over the burning Sterno cans when driving through the convenience store.

03-15-2007, 02:48 AM	#5
Bill Merchant absit invidia Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA \| Oregon \| Portland area \| 97004 \| Posts: 3,964 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 6 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 1 Friends: 53	I sent the county a link to the Prius Emergency Response Guide, and congratulated them on their wise choice.

03-16-2007, 07:26 PM	#6
donee Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,539 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hi All, I may be wrong on this, but I though the first use of fuel bladders was in Vietnam error American Helicopters. The bladers would not burst open with impact into the ground. Giving the crew a chance at surviving. Later, these bladders were mandated for many car racing series. The Prius fuel bladder, and location of the tank ahead of the rear axle would make it very safe in a rear impact. The Prius battery has a ground fault interupter (just like your bathroom should have), which isolates the battery in the metal box, if there is any current flowing to chasis. So, a cut feed wire will instantly disconnect the battery from the feed cables. The most hazardous thing in the back of a Prius may be the auxiliary lead-acid battery. Its located all the way back and outboard. It has reasonable current capacity to cause some smoke.

03-16-2007, 10:33 PM	#7
DFWPrius Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 40 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Self sealing fuel tanks were used in WWII, many US aircraft had them. Most other did not. Self sealing fuel tanks are nothing more then fuel bladers mounted inside a tank. Only the bladers were made up of diffrent layers that when exposed to gas and each other bonded back together.

03-19-2007, 09:58 AM	#8
CraigCSJ Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 45 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	"How safe it is to have the battery in the trunk of the car was cause for concern among other finance department employees." I was in my Prius, stopped at a light. A small truck hit me from behind, no skid marks and witnesses estimated the speed at around 50 mph. My Prius was totalled, as it hit a car in front after the original rear impact. The large battery wasn't close to being damaged. There is a crush zone for what seems like about one foot, then stiffer. I wasn't injured, and any concern about the large battery in a crash should evaporate after this "test". CraigCSJ

03-19-2007, 10:10 AM	#9
John in LB Life is good Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Orange County Posts: 313 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	With all of the Prius' running around, this issue would have become a concern real quick if it had any basis. In addition to the energy content of the battery being very limited, it is a solid pack with no liquid acids involved. There is no basis for concern here.

03-19-2007, 10:26 AM	#10
Texas911 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 83 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	When I got my Prius, my friends came up with all sorts of misinformed questions about it. Like how long do I plug it in at night. But one of them said that I'd better not get in an accident because the EMS will not go near a wrecked Prius because they feared being electrocuted! Man, who perpetuates all this nonsense? I asked him how the EMS felt about entering a car with explosive gasoline, and he just shut up.