SAE J1766 Recommended Practice for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery Systems Crash Integrity Testing

Electric, Fuel Cell and Hybrid vehicles may contain many types of high voltage systems. Adequate barriers between occupants and the high voltage systems are necessary to provide protection from potentially harmful electric current and materials within the high voltage system that can cause injury to occupants of the vehicle during and after a crash. This SAE Recommended Practice is applicable to Electric, Fuel Cell and Hybrid vehicles designs that are comprised of at least one vehicle propulsion voltage bus with a nominal operating voltage greater than 60 and less than 1,500 VDC, or greater than 30 and less than 1,000 VAC. This Recommended Practice addresses post-crash electrical safety, retention of electrical propulsion components and electrolyte spillage. This recommended practice is intended to provide a framework for performance testing of fuel cell systems (FCS’s) designed for automotive applications with direct current (DC) output.