Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) regulations, (2) protocols, or (3) engineering standards, that standardise the means of confirming electrical isolation of all the batteries of (a) an electric, or (b) a hybrid, vehicle in the event of a serious collision exist; and if no such measures exist, what assessment they have made of whether they should be introduced.

The UK is actively involved in the development of international regulations for road vehicle approval at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. These regulations take into account novel risks and potential safety concerns associated with hybrid and electric vehicles. The crashworthiness regulations have been amended to require hybrid and electric vehicles to have either an automatic disconnect for the high voltage system or for the electrical system integrity to be maintained after the vehicle undergoes regulated crash testing. A specific regulation dealing with electrical safety of vehicles has been updated to include provisions for the mechanical and electrical testing of the battery, its fire resistance and electrical insulation.

The regulations do not require a means to confirm the isolation of the batteries following a serious collision because it is considered appropriate for those attending the scene to confirm by independent means that the vehicle does not present a hazard or risk. In support of this approach, the Department has developed a guidance document for operators involved in the recovery of hybrid and electric vehicles which will shortly be made available on GOV.UK. Alongside this work, the Department is an active member of Euro NCAP, which has introduced a mobile phone application that provides vehicle specific information for recovery professionals and emergency services to identify the location of key components of the high voltage system.