Proposal to improve vehicle occupant safety in side impact collisions

With the number of battery electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles on the rise in Australia, there is an increasing risk of high voltage electrical shock, fire, explosion and chemical leakage from the battery system after a side impact crash. There is also increased risk to first responders attending crash scenes involving electric and hybrid vehicles.

ADR 72–Dynamic Side Impact Occupant Protection specifies crash worthiness requirements intended to reduce the likelihood of injury to vehicle occupants in a side impact crash. The current version of ADR 72 does not consider the potential of vehicles with high voltage battery systems to be damaged in a side impact crash and cause electrocutions, fires and chemical burns.

The proposed amendments will realign the requirements in ADR 72 with internationally harmonised United Nations Regulation 95 and require all applicable vehicles fitted with electric drivetrains to be assessed against additional criteria related to the prevention of electrocutions, fires and chemical spills from those systems after a side impact crash.

We are seeking feedback on the proposal including:

• whether you support the proposed version of ADR 72/01.

If you don't support the proposed version, we are interested in your comments on what could be changed to make it more suitable including changes to:

• functional and/or performance requirements
• testing requirements
• implementation timing and affected vehicle categories.

If you don't support amending the proposal, please provide reasons why we shouldn't regulate these aspects of electric vehicles.

Relevant documentation

• Draft Standard—Australian Design Rule 72/01—Dynamic Side Impact Occupant Protection
• Explanatory Statement—Australian Design Rule 72/01–Dynamic Side Impact Occupant Protection (Explanatory Statement)
• Feedback Form—Dynamic Side Impact Occupant Protection