VIDEO: The risk of high voltage hybrid batteries, BMW mechanic gets a shock
One of the primary safety concerns with hybrid and electric cars (aside from thermal runaway of the batteries of course) is the potential for shocks with a high voltage battery on board. Formula One teams are currently developing kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) which provide hybrid drive capability for introduction in the 2009 season. Most are thought to be working with a flywheel based system but BMW-Sauber at least is rumored to be developing an electric hybrid. Several teams have had incidents with their systems including the Red Bull team that had a fire at their factory. A mechanic for the BMW got a nasty shock when he approached the car as it came into the pits during a recent test session and was knocked to the ground. Safety issues like this are one of the reasons why automakers take so much time in developing production systems. The BMW-Sauber F1 team are not amateurs and have an annual budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars. If you plan on trying any DIY hybrid or electric drive projects make sure you are very careful with the batteries!
[Source: YouTube, via autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Biff 10:54AM (7/31/2008)
Static Charge? Looks to me like this is the guy who steers the car for the driver when they come into the pits. He is grabbing the steering wheel and touching the shell of the car, the same things the driver touches. Since this isn't a standard pit, there are no grounding plates that the car touches to get rid of the static discharge (the two metal pieces that you see f1 cars drive over just before they stop at the pit). My bet is that the car was on the track for a while and bult up a pretty good static charge, and that is actually what went through the first person to touch the ground and the car.
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Sean 10:58AM (7/31/2008)
That makes sense to me too. It looks like he tripped & fell in surprise rather than the force of the shock. (We'd have seen an arc if it was powerful enough to do that.) Besides, like a top-notch crew is going to connect the HV battery to the chassis? Please.
Randy C. 11:02AM (7/31/2008)
Question is: did he get the shocked from the onboard electrical supply or was it a static build up from the car being in motion? It looked like static build up to me.
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Nixon 11:35AM (7/31/2008)
This reminds me of trip to the Maine shoreline we took when I was a kid. As we went scrambling off on the rocks, my father called out "Watch out! Those rocks are hard!"
To which we all responded at the same time with a loud response of:
"DUH!!!"
Even mom laughed, and it is STILL the first thing anyone in the family brings up when we talk about that trip.
I'm pretty sure people by now understand that electricity can be harmful. So my response to articles like this that seem to have no other message other than "Watch out! That electricity can shock you!" is the same response my father got:
"DUH!!"
Considering the number of drivers and pit crewmen badly burned/killed in gasoline fires (or even worse, alcohol fires) in the history of car racing, I don't think the danger of the electric drivetrain would be my biggest fear in a hybrid race car.
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Peter 11:43AM (7/31/2008)
High voltage systems are no more dangerous than a tank full of 15 gallons of volatile liquid fuel. As electric drive becomes more common, everyone involved (mechanics, designers, drivers) will become accustomed with how to deal with high voltage safely.
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stevefazek 7:13PM (7/31/2008)
Even the video said it was static. Think of it that car is all plastic and rubbing against all that wind for that time is bounch to make a ton of static.
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mulad 8:43PM (7/31/2008)
Uh, there's a battery in the KERS system? That's news to me... I know there's a flywheel, but any electrical stuff is probably just controlling the clutch/CVT mechanisms.
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Chris M 9:45PM (7/31/2008)
There is more than one KERS design being tested. One design is using a flywheel and Torotrac CVT, but others are trying hybrid electric approaches with high performance batteries or even with ultracapacitors.
Chris M 9:39PM (7/31/2008)
It was normal static electricity, not the HV battery at all. But the guy who felt that jolt overreacted a bit, no doubt because he knew the car had a high voltage battery pack.
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