Low Voltage an Option for|Electric Car Standards

WASHINGTON (CN) - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has revised the standard regulating electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection for electric-powered vehicles to align it more closely with the April 2005 version of the Society of Automotive Engineers Recommended Practice for those vehicles.

The amendment allows car makers to design electric vehicles so, in case of a crash, the voltage of electrical energy storage, conversion, and traction systems is below specified voltage levels considered safe from shock hazards, in addition to the current standard of being electrically isolated from the vehicle's chassis.

Since the physiological impacts of direct current (DC) are less than those of alternating current (AC), this rule specifies lower electrical isolation requirements for certain DC components than for AC components.

As requested by the petitioners, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, this rule specifies the following electrical isolation requirements: 500 ohms/volt for AC and DC high voltage sources and 100 ohms/volt for DC high voltage sources with continuous monitoring of electrical isolation.

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