Electric vehicle battery crashworthiness considerations

The battery systems of current and future electric vehicles for the near seeable future constitute the largest single mass within the vehicle. Battery weights in vehicles with any significant range will typically represent 30 to 50% of the total curb weight. In the design of a practical, safe electric vehicle, serious consideration must therefore be given to the response of the battery mass, not only under running conditions but also under impact conditions. This paper deals with the results of studies performed under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy wherein the battery crash response characteristics were analyzed for several battery types. Full scale battery testing was performed on individual battery packs. Testing was performed on individual battery packs. The test results were analyzed and correlated to effects on vehicle passengers by mesms of sub-scale vehicle crash testing and mass model analysis. The studies have demonstrated that, with the proper design methods, the battery systems can be made to be safe and compatible within the vehicle crash environment.