The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to update electrical safety requirements for hydrogen fuel cell and mild hybrid vehicles.

The proposed rule change would add an optional method for post-crash electrical safety into the FMVSS No. 305 standard, involving physical barriers to prevent electric shock due to contact with high voltage sources. It would align the standard with international regulations and the latest version of the voluntary industry standard, SAE J1766, “Recommended Practice for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery Systems Crash Integrity Testing.”

“Today’s proposal would provide more options for building safety into electric and fuel cell cars,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “US consumers would be able to purchase a wider variety of vehicles without any decrease in safety. At the same time, the proposed rule would better align NHTSA regulations with global industry standards.”

Source: NHTSA via Green Car Congress
Image: Abdullah AlBargan (CC BY-ND 2.0)