Renault has figured out how to quickly extinguish the electric car. Mainly because of arsonists – vandals
You can see where such an opening is in the new electric Mégane and what the fuses for connecting the high-voltage battery look like in our photo gallery.
Domestic firefighters were trained in this way during a special training organized by the domestic representative of the French brand. In addition to time, the amount of water required for an intervention is also significantly reduced. Specifically, from 11 thousand liters to just thirteen hundred.
Renault’s method consists in the possibility of flooding the inside of the high-voltage battery pack, which then burns it relatively quickly with water and it stops.
The battery can be cooled from the inside thanks to two special openings that are part of every high-voltage battery in Renault’s plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. “The first of them, the firefighters supply water to the battery, the second one drains,” explained Claire Petit-Boulanger – an expert on vehicle safety at Renault Group Engineering.
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Special openings are hermetically sealed under normal conditions and prevent dust and moisture from entering the battery compartment. But they are covered with a special material that melts if the temperature in the battery reaches a certain limit.
It’s about time and water
“We actually developed it to speed up extinguishing cars in residential areas. In France, there are always almost fifty thousand arson attacks on parked cars,” explained Petit-Boulanger. Such a fire can, of course, endanger other property and, if it spreads to the surrounding area, even human lives.
In modern Renault electric cars, one of the openings is usually located in the interior under the rear seats, the other, through which the water flows out, is on the chassis.
It is precisely arson attacks, or short circuits in the electrical installation, that are the most common causes of fires in electric cars. “Fire does not occur when driving, recharging or other normal use of electric vehicles,” confirmed the editors of the Autonaelektřinu.cz portal, as well as representatives of the domestic fire brigades, in addition to Renault specialists.
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As it emerged from the discussion, the firefighters would welcome similarly prepared holes for the batteries for their flooding in cars of other types as well. Classic external cooling of the battery is lengthy and requires a huge amount of water.
In addition, car and battery manufacturers currently do not recommend immersing burning electric cars in tanks of water.
However, Renault wants to facilitate the work of rescuers during interventions not only with electric cars, but also with classic combustion cars. Therefore, from next year, it will equip all its currently manufactured cars with a special QR code that is stuck on the front and back glass of the car. After loading, information will appear in the special rescue application, which will accurately describe to firefighters and other rescue units how to proceed when rescuing people from the car. For example, in which places it is best to cut the bodywork, where the twelve-volt battery is located and where, if necessary, the fuse for connecting the high-voltage battery is located.