Page 223 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 3

Orhan Topal

Following that, it is also necessary to examine the vehicle’s propulsion
system as soon as possible. Deformation of the battery, leakage of liquids
such as electrolytes or cooling liquds, explosion and smoke formation should
also be taken into account particularly. In this context, it can be assessed that
the signs of white smoke may be an indicator of ongoing electrolyte fire inside
the cells (Luo et al., 2018; DGUV, 2020).
After the initial checks, it is essential that the vehicle is positioned in a way
to avoid its movement. This is important in order to prevent possible hazards
as a result of accidental movement of the vehicle by the casualties and/or the
teams who will respond to the emergency situation. Unlike internal combustion
engine vehicles, electric & hybrid vehicles do not have engine noise. This may be
often perceived as the vehicle is not working although it actually is. Emergency
response teams during a possible emergency case should keep away from the
front and rear part of the electric vehicle which are the possible directions of
movement, but can use the side parts of the vehicle for intervention.
Within the scope of the first emergency response actions for electric
& hybrid vehicles, it is necessary to disable high voltage systems after the
vehicle is completely immobilized. In this context, it is recommended to apply
the following methods.
• The inducator on the display panel indicating that the vehicle is ready
to drive should be checked. If it appears to be active, the vehicle must
be switched off from the power button/ignition switch.
• The auxiliary battery of the vehicle needs to be disconnected, in this sense
it will be appropriate to remove the cable from the negative side (-) of the
12 V / 24 V battery.
• Also in order to ensure the isolation of the high voltage propulsion
battery from the system, the Interlock line in the system must be
identified and disconnected and the MSD (if any) must be removed.
Thus, system protection measures will be activated and appropriate
conditions will be provided for the necessary emergency response.
Before starting emergency response processes in electric & hybrid vehicles,
it is necessary to wait without intervention for at least 5 minutes after the
application of the above-mentioned procedures. Thus, discharges will occur
at the capacitances in high voltage systems. At this stage, the contact with the
exposed cables should be avoided considering that there is a risk of receiving
electric shock. It is not allowed to intervene the connection of any components
and cables related to the vehicle without deactivating the interlock line or
opening the MSD. Following these primary safety measures mentioned
above, intervention operations should only be performed after the removal
of the pole terminals of auxiliary battery. Similarly, after these processes, it

208 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate