Volvo shunned the normal new car display at the Detroit Motor Show by headlining a crashed Volvo C30 Electric.
A smart move with electric cars gaining increased sales as battery-equipped vehicles require new thinking when it comes to safety standards.
The Volvo C30 Electric displayed in Detroit had been subjected to a frontal collision test at 64 km/h and there are many crucial factors to consider in scenarios such as this. Naturally there is occupant protection with heavy batteries potentially becoming dislodged, but also the risks of electric shocks for paramedics and other ‘first responders’ who reach the crash scene.
“We note that not everyone that now launches or is in the process of launching electric cars are approaching the safety challenges as we are,” revealed Volvo Cars President and CEO, Stefan Jacoby. “But Volvo will never compromise on our stringent safety demands.”
“In Detroit we are the first car maker to show the world what a truly safe electric car looks like after a collision with high speed impact,” Mr Jacoby added.
In the impact test, the Volvo C30 Electric’s batteries were fully charged and it behaved exactly how Volvo engineers predicted – the front deformed and distributed the crash energy and both the batteries and cables remained intact. That’s impressive given the battery pack weighs 300kgs (assuming more space than a conventional fuel tank), the front-mounted electric motor is considerably smaller and lighter than a conventional engine and the car has a 400 Volt high-voltage electrical system.
Volvo equips its C30 Electric with several fuses which are part of the airbag system and - when activated - these cut the power within 50 milliseconds, making it safer for occupants and rescuers alike.
Deliveries of the first Volvo C30 Electrics will commence in Sweden early next year and a demonstration fleet to garner information from North American customers is planned for later this year. Volvo is also on-track to unveil a plug-in hybrid vehicle for European markets in 2012.
