Renault Group has developed a very simple idea that it claims can help quell electric vehicle (EV) fires as quickly as combustion-engines.
It has also announced it is making its "Fireman Access" patents freely available to the entire automotive industry. Car manufacturers and parts suppliers can obtain a free licence through an open collaborative platform.
In return, as part of this collaborative principle, licensees must agree that any upgrades will be made available to other members of the community.
Developed between Renault Group and the fire services, Fireman Access allows "emergency services to put out a fire on an electric vehicle in roughly the same time as on a combustion vehicle," says the company.
How does Fireman Access for EVs work?
An adhesive disc is placed over an opening in the casing of the vehicle's traction battery, effectively sealing it for normal use.
If the vehicle catches fire and the flames spread to the battery, the powerful jet from the fire hose dislodges the disc and drenches the cells in water – the only fast and effective way of stopping "thermal runaway", a condition in battery fires where rising temperature causes new fires from cell-to-cell.
In this way, a battery fire can be extinguished in just a few minutes says Renault, compared with several hours and 10 times as much water without this feature.
Seven patents have been filed for this system, which is now fitted on all the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold by Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize worldwide.
“We're particularly proud of the partnership developed with the fire services in recent years," says Renault Group chief executive Luca de Meo. "Fireman Access is a practical demonstration of what can be achieved by combining our expertise as a manufacturer with the skills of the men and women who keep us safe every day."