In this edition, we focus on the increasing trend of EV vehicles and the issues these vehicles hold for everyone that are exposed to them in a post-accident scenario. Joe McFadries from the National Collision Repairer Magazine has given us an interesting article focused on both EV and PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) from a European and Australasian aspect, and I have more from our associates at the SCRS in America on the safe handling of these vehicles by first responders, tow operators and of course the repairers and their staff. This includes a bulletin I sourced from the NTSB relating to a full report on the safe handling of BEV’s.

Over the past few weeks, I have by courtesy of Zoom meetings attended a number of collision industry seminars and meetings where some of the discussions have focussed on statistics around accident frequency and severity based against growth of ADAS technology in today’s vehicles. There is consensus, even within a COVID impacted year, that while accident frequency is down, accident damage severity is increasing and herein the danger when having to handle these battery powered EV’s.

The second significant point is that before attempting any handling or repair of these vehicles, the OEM documented repair procedures should be consulted. Further resources are available within the I-CAR Australia course curriculum with 3 courses currently available for all persons within a repair facility to be able to understand the caution and steps to a safe and successful repair. There are more courses in construction at present and will be available in the near future.

 And then, do not forget the importance of the pre- and post-scans and the process around calibration of the various systems, and the need to fully brief your customer on the ADAS functionality at vehicle handover. Remember that all modern vehicles have customer data within the driver experience and safety applications, and as such, this data needs to be protected. The CIC Data Access, Privacy & Security Committee have produced a set of Golden Rules* for anyone who has access to this data within the repair and post repair process which is a great reminder.

Resources

Safety steps for working on electric vehicles - SCRS - Watch Here

Summary of report on BEV vehicle risks.- Read Here

The I-CAR course information can be viewed on their website and through the links below.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Damage Analysis And Safety

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Damage Analysis

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Safety

There are also a number of handy hints in short video’s featuring Mike Anderson who was our keynote presenter at Futures Collide back in August 2019 that the SCRS are encouraging repairers to consider as part of their repair processes.

SCRS Quick Tips: Erasing Customer Data from Total Loss Vehicles

SCRS Quick Tips: Second Colour Setup