Ok, all of my friends are now afraid of hybrids and telling me they are NOT going to cut me out or save me in a emergency.

Is there a resource, or maybe even a company, that does training specific to Hybrids.

I could also see one my friends pulling someone over...thinking they had the engine off....then getting WAY too excited if the motor kicks back on.

Fortunately, most of us drive BELOW the speed limit, but I think this issue needs to be addressed nationally.

 

Ford and most hybrid manufacturers have already thought of this. The FEH/MMH Hve a system of relays and inertia sensors that cut the HV battery 1) whenever the key is turned off 2) when ever the vehicle is been in a wreck. ALL high voltage cable are color coded in bright ORANGE and are routed together insde the frame. So tell your friends to worry less and if possible just turn the key off. The real danger is working on the hybrid with the engine or key in the on position, even then you would have to be messing with the ORANGE cables. I supose also if you were dumb and opened the battery pack up that would not be safe either.

So I guess they would not pull you from a burning vehicle?

 

Well does Ford/Hybrid manufacturers have some basic material on this so that they are more relaxed?

I would say they might take the opportunity to earn some free adult beverages before they pull me out. HOPE I am not unconscious or I may be out of luck.

They still have a point, in a major collision, the batteries could be exposed along with wiring so fourth or a safety feature could be disabled.

Plus, we still have this random engine starting issue during a pullover. Some officer will freak out over that without some added training or knowledge of what can happen.

The VIN number indicates a Hybrid model correct? We could change our state software to run plates to also alert the officer/response agency that the vehicle is a hybrid quickly.

 

Ford has put out an emergency response procedure and emergency responders train on a regular basis about new hazards such as the FEH/MMH battery concerns. Most people shut their engine off when pulled over, but if you don't, you should think about that.

The reason I know about the training was I am a disabled Battalion Chief and constantly trained on these matters. Your friends can google Hybrid emergency response if they want to learn more.

Also, if someone was killed or injured by a hybrid battery issue, it would be all over the news. It doesn't seem to be an issue at this point.

GaryG

 

I would say the 12v battery under the hood is more dangerous than the battery in the back. Battery in front is "wet" and has a gallon of concentrated sulfuric acid. The battery in back contains 250 dry cells, D cell batteries, just like the cop's flashlight. The battery in front can create hydrogen, and explode from a spark. The battery in back won't.
The battery in front can explode in a fire. The one in back, won't.

The battery in front can put out 650, 800, or even 1,000 amps.
The battery in back can only put out 100 amps maximum.

The battery in the back is in a big package, but the battery itself is quite small. MOST of the HV battery pack "space" consists of computer modules, cooling fans, plastic partitions to allow cooling air to circulate throuhout, and circuit boards, jump start charger, etc.

Pound per pound, the actual "battery" in the back weighs about the same as the battery in the front.... of EVERY car. And those emergency cut-off sensors that disable the battery may actully trip from a bump if you take this baby "off-road" and you may need to turn it back on manually. So any impact severe enough to trigger air-bags will also disable the battery.

I do wonder about "spooking" a trigger happy cop if my engine came on right when he approched my window... so I tell myself I will turn the key off, but you never know when you find yourself in a nervous situation.

 

https://www.greenhybrid.com/wiki/ind...ape_Hybrid_FAQ

9. What about that battery?

...There have been rumors about rescue workers who won't rescue people trapped in hybrids, and how hybrid power lines make the vehicle unsafe in an accident. These are false. In the event of an accident, the battery disconnects, and the power lines aren't likely to be anywhere even remotely close to where cutting needs to take place to rescue you, and even if they were, they're clearly marked to let rescue workers know. You're more likely to die because of the gasoline or the air bag than the hybrid battery.


You can read the Emergency Response Guide yourself or show it to them, the same one that rescue workers train with as well, http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...ide-escape.pdf (Thanks to Walt PA for the link, https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...se-guide-9292/ )

 

Tell your "friends" that part of their job is to stay educated about the new technology that is used in todays vehicles. It would be wise for them to stop becoming a HUGE liability to their department by making such statements ANYONE.

08FEH

 

Amen! Speaking as another emergency responder, there is no excuse for emergency response agencies not to have trained their people. Training and resources (such as those others have linked here) have been available for years.

 

If training isn't mandated, they wont do it.

I would bet 90% of the agencies out there have done nothing with it. I am doing an informal survey among other agencies right now in Indiana.

The current of the battery is NOT the issue, it is the voltage. A D cell battery has enough current to kill us, it just that our body provides enough resistance that it stops the flow of the voltage.

Voltage is the carrier for current. Plus high DC voltage is more dangerous then AC voltage.

 

Nice "friends" you have there. Might want to consider finding some new ones. Also, you might want to find a town whose emergency responders actually keep up to date on new vehicles and new procedures. Hybrids have been on the road for almost 7 years now, and have gotten extremely popular in the last 3-4yrs. I haven't seen a SINGLE story about anyone being electricuted either during service visits or in dealing with emergencies. The MFG's have been pushing their procedures on emergency personnell for quite some time and have engineered numerous redundant systems to protect occupants and responders. The documentation for the Escape/Mariner that Pravus Prime linked to has been available for several years on this board. I think I even read it before buying my MMH 18months ago.

Tell your "friends" to read the pdf Pravus Prime posted. Tell them to have their employers contact Ford, Honda, and Toyota and ask about training programs.

Tell your "friends" to stop paying attention to myths they find in their email. Next thing you know they will tell you how they have a long lost brother from Uganda who needs their help to bring $80million into the country.