As the second-largest automaker in France, Renault knows a thing or two about the production of cars. So, when it offered access to technology that can save countless lives, you can bet other companies took notice.
In February, Renault Group announced that it was making its Fireman Access system available to the entire automotive industry in an effort to increase safety measures. And better yet, the company is giving away the technology for free.
Renault Group's tech allows fire and rescue services the ability to extinguish a battery fire in an electric vehicle in just a few minutes as opposed to hours.
In exchange for the free licensing, licensees must agree that any upgrades they make to the technology will be made available to other companies in the partnership.
According to a study by the National Transportation Safety Board, "fires in electric vehicles powered by high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose the risk of electric shock to emergency responders from exposure to the high-voltage components of a damaged lithium-ion battery."
Despite that, fires in electric vehicles are much less common than they are in internal combustion engine vehicles, with approximately 25 fires for every 100,000 EVs sold. However, because of lithium-ion batteries' propensity to take a long time to cool, those blazes can be difficult to fully extinguish.
In South Korea, a team of scientists is developing an EV battery that may be able to extinguish fires by itself. The new battery could make EVs even safer than they already are.
In a news release, Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, explained the company's reasoning behind its decision to share its technology for free: "Innovating to improve road safety is part of who we are at Renault. We're particularly proud of the partnership developed with the fire services in recent years."
"... Today, I'm delighted to be making this innovation freely available, because when it comes to a subject like safety, we need to break down all the barriers."
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