| NFPA and SAE report is deduced from summit on safety and electrical infrastructure of electrical vehicles |
The summary report prepared by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, focuses on fundamental codes and standards issues as they pertain to electric vehicles.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the SAE International released a summary report from the co-hosted U.S. National Electric Vehicle Safety Standards Summit held in October that focused on how current codes and standards address safety and electrical infrastructure concerns related to electric vehicles.
The summary report prepared by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, focuses on fundamental codes and standards issues as they pertain to electric vehicles in the areas of: vehicles; built infrastructure; and emergency responders.
The summit gathered individuals, organizations and agencies to develop a common knowledge to ensure that the fire and electrical safety standards that impact electric vehicles and their supporting infrastructure will not serve as a barrier to their deployment. As a result, the information considered throughout the summit led to the identification of the three action plan considerations. They are: vehicle charging infrastructure; battery hazards identification and protection; and training for emergency responders and enforcement officials.
Plans for a similar follow-up summit are currently under consideration. NFPA launched an Electric Vehicle Safety Training project nationwide in 2010 to help firefighters and other first responders prepare for the growing number of electric vehicles on the road in the United States. The NFPA project, funded by a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, provides first responders with information they need to most effectively deal with potential emergency situations involving electric vehicles.