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Where’s the High-Voltage Service Disconnects on the 2012 Ford Focus???

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If you noticed in the title’s question – Where’s the High-Voltage Service Disconnects - that disconnects is plural than you understand that the 2012 Ford Focus Electric has more than one!  The Electric Focus has an upper battery and lower battery service disconnect, so it also has two High Voltage Batteries.  Both are removed in the same fashion.  However, to gain access to the lower battery high-voltage service disconnect, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric Emergency Response Guide tells you to raise the rear of the vehicle using a suitable jack.  Scratching your head yet?  I am!  Not too sure how we are going to access the lower disconnect.  Make sure you review the ERG and the pictures at the bottom of this post that show both disconnects.  Stay safe out there!

2012 Ford Focus Electric HV Battery Disconnect Extrication Safety

2012 Ford Focus Electric HV Battery Disconnect Extrication Safety

# COMPONENT DESCRIPTION/LOCATION FUNCTION
1 High-Voltage Service Disconnects Upper disconnect is located behind the rear seatback. Lower disconnect is below the upper pack near the right
hand rear tire. Orange in color with a square body design. Uses a two stage release tab.
Provides means to disconnect high-voltage batteries for safely servicing vehicle.
2 High-Voltage Battery Located behind the rear seatback and under vehicle. Liquid cooled/heated lithium ion. Provides high-voltage storage for vehicle’s electric motor.
3 High-Voltage Wiring Runs along the vehicle’s floorpan from the high-voltage battery to the underhood compartment.

All high-voltage wiring has
orange-colored insulation.

Provides physical connection between high-voltage battery and vehicle’s high-voltage equipment.
4 12-Volt Battery Located under the hood on the driver side of the vehicle.

Typical automotive 6-cell lead/acid design.

Provides 12-volts for vehicle accessories.
5 Single Speed Automatic Transmission (Gearbox) Transverse-mounted design, similar to the non-Electric Focus vehicles.

Attached to the traction motor

Provides rotational force to the wheels for vehicle propulsion.
6 DC/DC Converter Located under the hood on the passenger side, next to the washer solvent reservoir.

Has orange high-voltage wires
and Motor Electronics Cooling
System hoses attached to it.

Provides 12 volts to charge the 12-volt battery and run vehicle accessories.
7 Electric Motor Liquid cooled 3-phase AC permanent magnet motor.

Attached to gearbox,centrally located in the engine compartment.

Turns energy from the high-voltage traction battery into movement that is applied to the transmission for vehicle propulsion.
8 Transmission Control Module
(TCM)
Module located on top of the electric motor.

Hall effect sensor type module.

The TCM controls the motor/
inverters to produce the
desired torque output to
the wheels.
9 Electric Air Conditioning Compressor Located in front of the motor.

Has an orange high-voltage wire attached to it using an interlock connector.

Replaces the belt driven air compressor.
10 PTC Heater (Cabin CoolantHeater) Located on the RH side of the motor near the DC/DC converter.

Has both low and high voltage electrical connections.

Used to raise the temperature of the coolant to normal operating temperature

High Voltage Service Disconnects

Upper HV Battery Disconnect

Upper HV Battery Disconnect

2012 Ford Focus Electric Lower HV Battery Disconnect Extrication Safety

Lower HV Battery Disconnect

 

2013 Volvo C70 Body Structure and Safety Systems

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Here is a quick look at the 2013 Volvo C70.  The doors and B-pillars have been reinforced in various ways.  In a side impact the doors and B-pillars work together with the reinforced sills and a comprehensive system of cross-members and bulkheads to absorb the collision forces.

2013 Volvo C70 Body Structure Safety ROPS

The C70 retractable hardtop also features a roll over protection structure (ROPS) with two pyrotechnically charged roll hoops hidden behind the rear seats that deploy under roll-over conditions whether the roof is retracted or not.2013 Volvo C70 Body Structure Safety BIW

2013 Volvo C70 Body Structure Safety

Take a look the screen shot from Moditech’s Crash Recovery System.  Notice that the B-pillars don’t show any advanced or reinforced steel?  Just remember, most convertibles have a very large B-pillar structure behind the sheet metal.

2013 Volvo C70 CRS Moditech Extrication Safety Airbag

2006-2013 Volvo C70 Body Structure

Extrication Airbag Door

Extrication Airbag Door

2013 Volvo V40 Pedestrian Airbag

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The world’s first pedestrian airbag fitted as standard on the all-new Volvo V40 is the next step towards the manufacturers target that no-one should be killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020.

For complete A to Z on how the pedestrian airbag works, check out the Technology update May 2012 | PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION AIRBAG from our friends over at Moditech.

Moditech’s extrication expert Jörg Heck provides a quick reminder for us. “Switching the ignition to the off position and, if possible, isolating the vehicles electrical system are very important measures to keep in mind. In addition, rescuers should always maintain a safety distance from an undeployed pedestrian protection airbag, while working on the crashed vehicle with heavy equipment. Therefore it’s essential to know what’s inside!”  Remember as more safety features are added rescuers need to keep learning and adding to their mental toolbox!

2013 Volvo V40 Pedestrian Airbag Deployed Extrication Body Structure

2013 Volvo V40 Pedestrian Airbag Deployed Extrication

Pedestrian Airbag Extrication

Moditech May 2012 Crash Recovery System Tech Update Extrication

Volvo is not the only auto maker with pedestrian airbags, the 2014 BMW X5 will have one!

2014 BMW X5 will come with Pedestrian Airbag

Audi A5 Body Structure

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Here’s a quick look at all the different steels in the Audi A5.

Audi A5 Body Structure Extrication

Audi A5 Sportback body structure BIW

2013 Ford Hybrid and Electric Vehicles HV Batteries and Disconnects

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The 2013 Ford Towing Guide is available online and has some good information that we can use while we await the release of the 2013 Emergency Response Guide (ERG).

2013-ford-focus-electric-badgeFocus Electric Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

  1. High Voltage Batteries
  2. High Voltage Service Disconnects
Focus Electric Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

Ford-Fusion-Hybrid-2013 BadgeFusion Hybrid Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

  1. High Voltage Service Disconnect
  2. High Voltage Battery

Fusion Hybrid Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

2013-ford-c-max-energi-door-badgeC-Max Hybrid Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

  1. High Voltage Battery
  2. High Voltage Service Disconnect

C-Max Hybrid Battery and High Voltage Service Disconnect Locations

 

Ford Transit Connect Hood Key Hole

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Here is an interesting topic, how do you open the hood of a Ford Transit Connect? You would think by using the hood release under the IP on the driver side. However, that would be wrong. To open the hood a Ford Transit Connect you need the key. Next lift the Ford hood badge and turning the badge back. To release the first latch insert the key and turn it left. Turn the key right, which releases the second latch, then lift the hood.

2012 GMC Acadia Body Structure

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The GMC Acadia, Chevy Traverse, and the Buick Enclave share the same vehicle platform.  The battery location is behind the passenger seat under the floor.  Also be on the look out during the fall of 2012 for the 2013 models.  The 2013 models will have a center seat airbag in the driver seat that deploys to protect the driver and the passenger from each other.

2012 Chevrolet Traverse Body Structure

2012 Chevrolet Traverse Body Structure

2008 Chevrolet Traverse Side Impact Crash

2008 Chevrolet Traverse Side Impact Crash

2008 GMC Acadia Front Offset Crash Test

2008 GMC Acadia Front Offset Crash Test

2008 GMC Acadia Front Offset Crash Test

2008 GMC Acadia Front Offset Crash Test

Buick Enclave Left and Right Roof Curtain Air Bags

Buick Enclave Left and Right Roof Curtain Air Bags

Here are several posts on this vehicle platform:

 

2013 Ford B-Max Body Structure (UK)

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Here’s an interesting door removal or total sidewall removal.  It’s the 2013 Ford B-Max that will go on sale in the U.K. this September.  What is really strange is there is no B-Pillar!

2013 Ford B-Max Extrication

The doors, incorporating high-strength steel and boron structures form what is essentially a “movable” B-pillar as they are closed and latched to the body shell.  High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels are used to help trim the car’s weight and account for some 58% of the body and door structure. Boron steel is used in major load-bearing areas.

Ford B-MAX Body Structure UK Extrication

The front doors latch at the floor pan and header, while the sliding rear doors latch to the floor and the slider. Open them together and you’ve got a gargantuan opening a full 60 inches wide. Impressive, given the B-Max is a hair less than 165 inches long.

B-Maxx Door Latch B-pillar Extrication

CODA Automotive Electric Vehicle

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Yet another electric vehicle on the road!  CODA Automotive re-engineered an existing gasoline-powered vehicle, the Chinese Hafei Saibao. The CODA is a rolling-chassis Chinese sedan with some Chinese-made lithium-ion cells that are installed along with the drivetrain in California. CODA Automotive is a privately held company headquartered in Southern California that designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and lithium-ion battery systems, purpose-built for transportation and utility applications.

AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power, added the CODA sedan to their fleet and will use the vehicle on their gridSMART® Demonstration Project, located in the northeastern part of Central Ohio.

2005 Volkswagen Passat Airbag

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So you are getting ready to cut the roof off a 2000 thru 2005 Volkswagen Passat, do you peel away the trim or do you think that the car could be over 12 years old and there’s no way there would be an airbag inflator in a cut zone?

2012 Audi A3 Body Structure

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2012 Audi A3 Body Structure

2012 Audi A3 Body Structure

2012 Audi A3 Body Structure

2012 Audi A3 Body Structure

Extrication Update

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During my classroom portion of the train the trainer class in Ann Arbor, I talked about how useful the Internet and even Facebook is to the fire service, especially the extrication discipline!   Take a look at the links below for some great extrication information!

  • First Due Tackle by Paul Hasenmeier (Paul will be a great addition to the FireEMSBlogs.com network,  make sure you like the First Due Tackle Facebook page)
  • Rediscovering the Air Chisel by Les Baker (Why so many firefighters don’t use this tool—and what they should know about its many practical uses)
  • Interior Ramming vs. Exterior Spreading by Les Baker (What the interior rescuer needs to know to conduct aggressive clearance tactics to displace the roof)
  • Game Plan Your Extrications by Desmond Fulton (The IS-SAVED acronym offers an easy-to-remember plan for the extrication scene)
  • Episode 274: X-Trication Radio by David Dalrymple (David Dalrymple hosts X-Trication Radio once a month on Fire Engineering’s Blog Talk Radio channel. Make sure you listen when you have the chance. All the previous episodes are available on Fire Engineering’s channel. You can even stream past episodes thru your car radio. I caught up on a couple of episodes I missed during my drive to FDIC. There’s no place that you cannot turn into a training place!)
  • Moditech CRS screenshot on Facebook (Moditech posts a Crash Recovery System (CRS) screenshot and asks their Facebook page followers what they notice about the vehicle and the hazards, etc on the vehicle. )CRS Moditech Extrication Facebook

2012 Dodge Avenger Body Structure

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Below are the 2012 Dodge Avenger body structure and airbags.  Also take note of the location of the 12 volt battery.  The Avenger also has double-laminated glass on the front doors and windshield.  Another safety feature are the active front head restraints move forward and upward during a rear-end collision to decrease the space between the headrest and head, helping reduce the risk of head and spinal injuries.

Ann Arbor Train the Trainer Pictures

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Here are just a few of the pictures from last week’s train the trainer in Ann Arbor.

Advanced Steel Extrication PowerPoints

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Below are the advanced steel PowerPoints I presented at the Train the Trainer in Ann Arbor Michigan.  Feel free to use, share, and change it fit your departments needs.  Also, please let me know of anything you think should change.

2012 Dodge Ram Truck Side Airbag

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Here is a quick look at the driver side airbag in the Dodge Ram Truck model year  2008-2012.

2013 Toyota Yaris Hybrid

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First look at the 2013 Toyota Yaris Hybrid.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell Supercar

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Mercedes-Benz  has a 526 horsepower electric drivetrain in the upcoming SLS AMG E-Cell supercar. Power for the E-Cell will be provided by four electric motors. The E-Cell employs a permanent all-wheel drive system which is powered by a 400-volt battery made up of 12 modules of 72 lithium-ion polymer cells.  The battery is housed in within the carbon fiber transmission tunnel, which is structurally integrated into the E-Cell’s aluminum body shell.  This is a 2013 model year vehicle expected to hit the roads in the fall of 2012.

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Body Structure

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The all-new architecture incorporates a new design that not only improves distortion rigidity by 16 percent, it also incorporates a 30-percent increase in the use of ultra high-strength-tensile steel to improve collision energy management. High-strength steel also allows the suspension to work optimally and reduces weight. Ultra-high strength tensile sheet metal has also been applied to the outer door panels for the first time in the company’s history. In addition, anti-corrosion steel was applied to 70 percent of outer frame and floor structure.

2013_Hyundai_Santa_Fe_body_Structure_Extrication

New hot stamping and roll forming methods have also been applied to impact members, which provide added strength, reduces the number of body parts and makes the architecture lighter. The amount of structural adhesives has also been increased significantly for improved body rigidity, crashworthiness and durability.