Page 28 - Australasian Paint & Panel July-August 2019
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BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
28 Tech Talk • 30 IBIS Global Focus Report
W
PAINT&PANEL JULY / AUGUST 2019
our
NO CHARGING IN
MARK CVITKOVITS FROM I-CAR DISCUSSES WORKING SAFELY WITH ELECTRIC AND HYBRID VEHICLES
ITH ALL THE TALK OF PRE AND
post scanning, ADAS and cal- ibration currently impacting industry, there is another be- hemoth of change entering the collision repair industry. Hybrids have been a part of the Australian automotive industry since 2005 and are still growing in ac- ceptance as the technology continues to improve as more manufacturers begin
releasing new variants.
Along with hybrids, the High Voltage
(HV) electric car revolution also continues to be on the breach of a breakthrough inter- nationally. Tesla is producing electric vehi- cles that as well as looking good, are excep- tional vehicles, brimming with technology. The Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi MiEV were among the first fully electric vehicles available in Australia, albeit with little im- pact and acceptance here.
In the last 12 months we have seen the Jaguar I-Pace, Hyundai Kona and Ioniq, the latest Nissan LEAF, Mercedes Benz EQ launch
and the Tesla 3 will be released soon.
This is just a small sample of what will be available with Audi, Porsche and Volvo set to release fully
electric vehicles into the global market. The majority of OEMs have stated their intention to offer up to 25 percent of their drive train options as either fully electric or hybrid. That is a lot electricity on store when a vehicle is in a collision repair shop. There are many precautions that need to taken into account when working
on electric or hybrid vehicles.
HOW TO DEAL WITH HIGH VOLTAGE
While many collision repair businesses have worked on hybrids, there are many who have not and there must be a basic understanding on how to deal with high voltage. Technicians historically have had to deal only with low voltages (12 volts or
under) when working on collision dam- aged vehicles. The introduction of high voltage systems has added a new dimen- sion for safety as these HEV and EV vehi- cles have electrical systems that operate at anywhere from 42 to 650 volts.
The first precaution is to follow that particular manufacturer's recommended safety and disabling procedures. This is critically important as the HV contained in many of these batteries can potentially seriously injure a technician during the course of their repairs. If these precau- tions are not taken or bypassed, then a se- rious accident may occur.
When working safely with HV it is im- portant to ensure that your body does not become a conductor of electricity, this is where the danger becomes real. Simple things like removing all jewellery such as
watches, rings, necklaces or other cloth- ing items that could compromise your safety when working on high-voltage
TOP: The more affordable Tesla 3 will go on sale soon.
LEFT: Audi Q5 plug in hybrid. The HV contained in these batteries can seriously injure a technician during repairs.


































































































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