Results of electric vehicle safety issues survey: Conducted on behalf of ad hoc EV battery readiness working group in-vehicle safety sub-working group

摘要

This report documents the results of a survey conducted in the winter of 1994-1995 by the In-Vehicle Safety Sub-Working Group, a working subunit of the DOE-sponsored ad hoc EV Battery Readiness Working Group. The survey was intended to determine the opinions of a group of industry experts regarding the relative importance of a list of some 39 potential safety concerns, grouped into 8 broad areas related to electric vehicles and their battery systems. Participation in the survey was solicited from the members of the Battery Readiness Working Group, along with members of the SAE EV Battery Safety Issues Task Force and selected other knowledgeable individuals. Results of the survey questionnaire were compiled anonymously from the 38 individuals who submitted responses. For each of the issues, survey respondents ranked them as having high, medium or low importance in each of three areas: the severity of events involving this concern, the probability that such events will occur, and the likelihood that mitigating action for such events may be needed beyond normal practices. The accumulated responses from this ranking activity are tabulated, and the response totals are also provided by several subgroupings of respondents. Additionally, large numbers of written comments were provided by respondents, and these are summarized with numbers of responses indicated. A preliminary statistical analysis of the tabulated results was performed but did not provide a satisfactory ranking of the concerns and has not been included in this report. A list is provided of the 15 concerns which a majority of the respondents indicated could be of both medium-to-high severity and medium-to-high probability of occurrence. This list will be reviewed by the Safety Sub-Working Group to determine the status of actions being taken by industry or government to mitigate these concerns, and the likelihood that additional research, standards development or regulation may be warranted to address them.