Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, same world-class safety as other Volvo cars

21 February 2011

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid includes a systematic approach to all safety aspects related to battery power.

The basic perspective is that the battery-powered Volvo must be as safe as any other new Volvo car - when it comes to owning and driving and also in the event of an accident.

"We apply the same high safety standards to all our products but the safety-related challenges may differ depending on the driveline and fuel being used. To us, electrification technology is another exciting challenge in our quest to build the safest cars on the market," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Cars. He adds:

"It is understandable that a lot of questions about electrification safety are related to what will happen in an accident but it is important to have a holistic approach including all the aspects of day-to-day usage of the car."

Monitoring and encapsulation
Volvo Cars is currently conducting wide-ranging and thorough analysis of a variety of safety scenarios for cars with electric power. Through advanced automatic monitoring of battery status and by encapsulating the battery and protecting it effectively in a collision, the result is a world-class safety level.

"A holistic human centre approach and real-life traffic conditions are always the starting-point for our safety work. Based on our massive database with input from actual road incidents and accidents, we know where the focus must lie in everyday traffic conditions. The solutions we have developed for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid take into account the situations that are unique to this type of car," says Jan Ivarsson.

Everything from the way the car is produced, used and serviced to the way they are recycled is analysed thoroughly and the information obtained is used to shape the development of the production car, which will be introduced in 2012.

Comprehensive testing under way - and there's more on the way
Volvo's safety tests take place in several different stages: at component level, for whole systems and the complete car is safety-tested virtually in the computer, and physically in Volvo Cars' technically advanced crash-test centre.

"We have carried out full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to confirm that the battery technology fulfils our safety requirements," reveals Jan Ivarsson He adds: "The lithium-ion batteries are separated from the crumple zones and the occupants' compartment."

Know-how from actual traffic
Volvo Cars is using its unique know-how from actual traffic conditions to carry out detailed testing and verification. This test procedure also includes the general requirements and protocols of the industry's safety institutes.

When Volvo Cars analyses traffic situations from a safety perspective, the engineers use a model that illustrates the sequence of events during the whole driving phase. The process is divided into five phases: from the normal driving situation to after the accident has occurred. Based on these five phases, Volvo develops new safety solutions and improves existing ones.

Unique solutions for electric cars
All safety systems in the Volvo V60 will also be available in the plug-in hybrid version. However, electric power also adds new possible safety scenarios to the overall picture and these too must be dealt with. Volvo's safety experts have meticulously analysed the five accident sequence phases and developed unique solutions for the battery and for protection of the occupants as necessary.

1. Normal driving: A comprehensive and advanced monitoring system keeps watch and ensures that each cell maintains the correct voltage level and optimal operating temperature by regulating the cooling system. This is of significance to both safety and battery capacity. In the event of any deviation, the battery is automatically shut down as a preventive measure.

2. Conflict: The battery adds weight that can create new conditions for the vehicle's dynamics and alter the car's behaviour, for instance in fast avoidance manoeuvres. The Volvo V60 braking system can handle the increased mass, and DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control) helps the driver contain the situation.

3. Avoidance: If a frontal collision is imminent and the driver is acting too late to brake the car, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid can activate automatic systems such as Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and City Safety to help avoid or reduce the effects of an collision.

4. Collision: In order to reduce the effects of a collision, the battery package is well protected and separated from the car's crumple zones and the occupants' compartment. The battery is also sturdily encapsulated. Steel beams and other parts of the structure around the battery are reinforced to help protect it from being affected in a collision.

If the battery is damaged, resulting in gas leakage, there are special evacuation ducts that lead the gas out under the car. In the event of extreme heat, the occupants are shielded by the battery's encapsulation. At the very moment of collision, crash sensors linked to the battery send information about the collision to the car's computer, which automatically shuts off the power supply to reduce the risk of a short-circuit.

5. After the collision: The battery has a security cut-out that functions like a household earth fault circuit breaker. It shuts down and isolates the battery if the current travels in the wrong direction, for instance if two cables are pressed together as a result of an accident. Volvo also works together with the emergency rescue services, providing them with detailed instructions on how best to handle various Volvo models in the event of an accident.

Safety when servicing and recycling
The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is equipped with a service cut-out to quickly and safely disconnect the vehicle's power supply.

Volvo Cars and the battery manufacturers have far-reaching product responsibility as regards both production and recycling. This ensures proper handling of the battery when it comes to the end of its life in the car.

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