Rescue Workers say Hybrid Cars a Danger

Yeah, there was a big discussion about this in Sweden a couple of moths ago. The firefighters went as far as telling people that they would not rescue someone in an electric car or hybrid... I think (hope ) the manufactures and the rescue personnel worked it out.

I wonder why the japanese guy who made this webpage referred to the left back seat as the suicide seat... Could it have something to do with it being close to the battery and high voltage cable running under it??

 

I think "suicide" is a duff Japanese->English translation. While using an online automatic translator to browse Toyota Japan's site I got a few suicide references. Maybe it's a bad translation of "passenger"...?

 

FYI: You might want to take a look at the Toyota '04 Prius Emergency Response Guide.

It's written by Toyota specifically for emergency response workers, and has information specific to accessing the Prius safely in a crash situation.

If you're interested in the Prius' electrical systems, this is a treasure trove of info.

 

So, my question is, who's pushing out these articles - the oil companies, or the one of the big 3, or both?

-m.

 

'So, my question is, who's pushing out these articles - the oil companies, or the one of the big 3, or both?'

Very good question!

 

Not in any way to degenerate the emergency workers' concerns, or the difficulty of their jobs: But when new technologies (air bags, dual batteries, etc.) have been used in automobiles, rescue workers have had to learn to deal with them.

And they have. I suspect hybrids will be the next major thing on the horizon, assuming they catch on. (And with gas prices spiralling upwards, this seems likely). They'll deal with this like they have with past technology shifts.

Now, if emergency services were to call for standardization in how hybrid electrical systems components are labelled (or colored), and how they work in emergency situations -- that sounds to me like a very reasonable demand. Particuarly once these groups have had a chance to deal with a few more hybrids in these situations, and know what the problems are, and what they'd like to see in the future.

 

It's not "suicide seat". The phrase refers to the "seat behind the passenger's seat".

Sometimes my liberal-arts bachelor's degree does actully come in useful....

 

I'm imagining a similar article from The Onion that could have been written when motorcycles gained popularity:


Rescue Workers Having Trouble Removing New Motorcyclists Bodies from Trees

PITTSBURGH - The growing popularity of the motorcycle is a step toward high-speed travel and ultimately the modernization of roads in America. But for rescuers at accident scenes, they represent a potential new danger: getting a splinter while they try to unwrap a motorcyclist's body from a tree.

"Usta be during the ol' horse and buggy days, the worst that would happen is a rider would get his head stuck up his mare's nice person and we'd have to siphon the manure out of his nose and ears," says old-timer Ray Moffer. "Pullin' a motorcycle out of a tree trunk and finding all the pieces of the rider is a lot tougher."

Even with all the new found carnage, however, there remains a silver lining: "Them new-fangled helmets do come in handy, though," Moffer says. "You can use that chin-strap thingy as a handle to keep from gettin' blood on you when you finally find the cyclist's head in a ditch."

 

:lolup: :lolup: :lolup:

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BTW, this story is really making the rounds -- it has a long discussion on SlashDot, and I've found it in several other places as well.

The main thing several people point out that is incorrect in the original article: there are not high-voltage components in the Prius' doors or door columns (or in the sides of the car), and the hybrid battery is not 500+ Volts.

One emergency response person said that side air bags are much more of a worry when cutting into a car than the hybrid system, since these are located in the areas they usually cut into.

 

i agree. i'm a volunteer fireman and we have had to learn to deal with lots of new stuff over the years including AIDS exposure, home BBQ propane tanks, and others.

and in the way of polite constructive criticism, your word for the day is 'denigrate'... as a volly, i am a proud degenerate, which is not to denigrate anybody elses efforts in that regard :mrgreen:

 

Toyota's response, published today:

Toyota Prius Engine Safety in the Event of an Accident

05/04/2004 Torrance, CA

The Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid vehicle has many safeguards to help ensure safe operation for drivers and protection of emergency response professionals in the event of an accident.

The high voltage batteries are contained in an extremely strong protective case located in a portion of the vehicle very unlikely to be penetrated in a collision. Drivetrain management computers continuously monitor all system functions performing hundreds of tests each minute. In the event an abnormal condition is detected, all high voltage circuits are disabled and high voltage is contained inside the protective case.

Further, two safety mechanisms are in place that shut off the engine and disconnect high voltage if an airbag is deployed or if there is a sudden deceleration indicative of an accident. High voltage cables and components are heavily insulated, shielded, isolated and the cables are painted bright orange for easy identification. The controller box is a sealed unit and has warning labels.

To reassure emergency response professionals when the Prius was introduced in 2000, Toyota placed advertisements in trade publications and sent letters to industry organizations announcing the availability and dissemination of Emergency Response Guides. Today, all Emergency Response Guides for Toyota's alternative fuel vehicles, including Prius, RAV 4 EV, CNG Camry and Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid are available at Toyota's technical information web site and Toyota continues to advertise in appropriate professional publications.

Electrically driven Toyota vehicles like the Prius, RAV 4 EV and e.com have been available in the U.S. since 1998. Like all vehicles, they can be involved in emergency situations. They have established a good track record for electrical safety and we are not aware of a battery case breach or any personal injury in the U.S. related to hybrid or EV electrical systems.
# # #

 

Ha! Thank you for pointing that out. When it comes to spelling, I'm a sub-generate. :silly:

 

forget slashdot.com its on CNN.com....that how i saw it..
i can see their concern but at the present time should not be too hard with only a couple models to know where to cut....

 

One of my co-workers printed the story for me. I returned the favor by getting the Emergency Reponse Guide and printing page 13 for him. It documents normally open relays at the HV battery, which get deactivated in crash conditions.