The 2013 Kia Rio has six airbags and a rigid, reinforced body structure for crash protection. In addition, there is an advanced, impact-sensing door lock system that automatically unlocks the doors following a collision. So make sure you try before you pry!
It’s Monday so let’s pull up Crash recovery System by Moditech! Here’s a quick look at the 2013 Lexus CT Hybrid body structure, airbags, and battery locations.
Eight-airbag system including driver’s and front passenger’s advanced airbag system, front seat-mounted side airbags, driver’s and front passenger’s knee airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags. Pre-tensioners with force limiters for front seats.
Here’s a quick look at the 2013 Lexus LS body structure and airbags. Make sure you check the unique airbag inflator in the rear seat!
The LS features dual-stage SRS airbags (Front seats), SRS knee airbags (Front seats), SRS side airbags (Front and outboard rear seats), and SRS curtain shield airbags (Front and rear door windows). An anti-submarining SRS Seat Cushion Airbag is available on long body models. Take a look at the Crash Recovery System screenshot below that shows the anti-submarining airbag.
Take a quick look at the 2013 Porsche Cayenne Body Structure. Notice what appears to be a box where the driver’s seat would be installed? That is the battery box for the 12V battery. Just like the VW Touareg. The screenshot from Moditech’s Crash Recovery System (CRS) clearly shows the 12V battery underneath the driver seat.
Here is one for the folks over in the United Kingdom. Just like every Volvo on the road today, the 2013 V40 Cross Country has a body structure packed full of different materials. What I found interesting is Volvo lists “Very High Strength Steel”, ” Extra High Strength Steel”and ”Ultra High Strength Steel” in the structure. What that means is Volvo is optimizing the use of the different strengths of steels. Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) is very expensive to manufacture into stampings so using a weaker steel in different areas to complement the UHSS while reducing costs.
In yesterday’s webcast, Hidden Hazards inside a Vehicle I discussed how useful Moditech’s Crash Recovery System (CRS for short) on the scene of an extrication. I used the screenshot from CRS of the Chrysler 200 to show the battery location in the front fender on the driver side. However, the folks at Moditech took it a step further in CRS by providing instructions and pictures outline the 12V battery disconnection. Follow the pictures below and see how useful this piece of software is.
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2013 Nissan GTR Body Structure has different types of metals. Aluminum and different grades of high strength steels. Also, take a quick look at the Crash Recovery System screenshot below for airbag locations.
The Jaguar XK Body Structure is unique because of the extensive use of aluminium. The Jaguar XK body shell is made out of aluminium with the use of aluminium castings and extruded parts along with aluminium stamped panels.
Below is a screenshot from Moditech’s Crash Recovery System that shows the all the information available Notice that the A-Pillar shows a UHSS reinforcement. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially since this vehicle is available in a coupe and a convertible.
Below the reinforcement is shown in the cutaway vehicle:
The automatic transmission in the Jaguar XK has a knob and electric parking brake.
You all know I love Moditech’s Crash Recovery System (CRS) and I say their Facebook page is a must follow! Here’s a great example of why. The guys at Moditech posted the image below on their Facebook post and asked their readers this question; “Rescuers, what do you notice on the screenshot of this Ford F150?” So what did you notice? Many people responded with the usually hazards that CRS clearly locates in the diagraphs. However, Moditech wanted to highlight the location of the stored gas inflator in the B-Post. So you instructors out there, if you have ever told your students that they have never encountered a stored gas inflator in a vehicles B-post. That may not always true as you can see on our screenshot. Also peel the trim away!
So just in case you thought that Crash Recovery System by Moditech only helps you avoid hazards in vehicles like ultra high strength steels and airbag inflators take a look at the deactivation procedure for the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster and the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster. One very important point, the Tesla Roadster has an inertia switch, that when activated, cuts off the high voltage circuit. This deactivation procedure is for the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) ie, airbags.
During a collision an inertia switch is activated, which cuts off the high voltage circuit.
Immobilize vehicle:
Deactivate propulsion system:
The emergency disconnect cable should be used as part of the propulsion system deactivation. Is located in the vehicle as indicated. – Cut the indicated cable in the image below. There is a difference between the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable in the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster and the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster. Make sure you become familiar with both!
Below is the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster which is located in the front of the vehicle.
The Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2009-2012 Tesla Roadster is located in front of the windshield on the driver side under the hood.
Below is the location of the Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster which is located in the rear of the vehicle.
The Emergency Disconnect Cable on the 2008-2009 Tesla Roadster is located in the rear of the vehicle behind the passenger in the trunk.
Is safety at the scrap yard and at extrication training a priority? Here is one reason to drill and drive home to peel away the trim and look for airbag inflators even on old cars in the scrap yard. Yesterday a 2001 Volvo S40 was included in the vehicles at the local scrap yard for the man behind FirtDueTackle.com and me. When I looked inside the driver door the was a small door in the trim at the top of the B-Pillar. The door had a marking cooling out a roof airbag. I pulled out Moditech’s Crash Recovery System and looked up the vehicle and sure enough there is a roof airbag with the inflator located in the middle of the C-Pillar. It was easy to assume that that a 11 year old vehicle wouldn’t have inflators in the pillars, but that is a dangerous assumption.
Below is a screen shot from Moditech’s Crash Recovery System (CRS) for the 2012 Honda CR-V. The standard safety features in the CR-V inlcude a body structure that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. Safety feature include automatic tensioning front seat belts, side curtain airbags with rollover sensor and dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags (SRS).
The body structure of the 2012 Honda CR-V Body Structure is shown is several images below.
The ratings that the 2012 Honda CR-V received should also give you a little insight into the body structure and safety features.
The 2012 (actually since 2009) Mercedes Benz S-Class is made from a bunch of Ultra High Strength Steel. The B-Pillar and rockers are made from Mega High Strength Steel. Make sure you take a look at the screen shot below from Moditech’s Crash recovery System (CRS) and compare it to the other images. Crash Recovery System would have provided some useful information on scene of a MVA that involved a S-Class.
Here is the new weekly column on BoronExtrication! It’s called Five for Friday. Five for Friday will recap 5 different extrication news topics and sometimes sprinkle in items like the Fire Critic’s 16 Days of Swag!
1. Firehouse.com presented a webcast by Michael Daley called Vehicle Extrication: Entry and Disentanglement Skills. The great thing that Firehouse does is allow users to go back a watch the presentation again or for the first time if you missed it.
2. Download the latest Moditech Crash Recovery System (CRS) data update released on August 1st. The update contains a lot of new vehicles, such as the Audi A6 Hybrid, Dodge Dart, Fiskers Karma, Infiniti JX, Porsche 911 and Subaru BRZ. With the addition of the new Prius PHV and the Toyota Prius C the Prius family is now also up to date again. Make sure to update your systems.
3. 16 Days of Swag by the Fire Critic. The Fire Critic is giving away free fire gifts every other day for 16 days straight. Throw your name in the hat once per day and gain more entries. http://woobox.com/cdtbx8
4. Jörg Heck will be hosting a chat on Tuesday August 14th from 18: 00-20: 00 UST (which is 14:00 -16:00 EST) and he will answer “Current vehicle technology” questions on Weber Rescue’s Facebook page. Two small issues to work around for those of us in the United States is the language and the time. However, the power of the Internet allows us to translate different languages with the click of the mouse!
5. A USA Today article titled Cars safer for passengers – but not first responders made the rounds on the fire service websites yesterday. If you have not read through it yet, I would take the time to give it a once over. The author, Chris Woodyard, did some homework and put together a good piece. Not a bad article to have floating around city hall!
Just because the Jeep Wrangler has a removable soft-top and/or hardtop doesn’t mean this vehicle is cut and dry sample for an extrication. Well, there is nothing out of the ordinary. The Jeep Wrangler is a body-on-frame construction and the sport bar (roll-bar) uses high-strength steel and is integrated into the B-Pillar that runs into the floor. Very minimal airbags with standard front multistage and optional seat airbags.
Keep in mind that Jeep Wranglers owners like to customize and change their vehicles. Don’t be surprised if you encounter additional batteries to supply power to items like off-road lights. You never know what changes have been made! Remember your situational awareness and expect the unexpected!
Below is a screenshot from Moditech‘s Crash Recovery System (CRS).
Moditech is one company that pays it forward for the good of the fire service. The company releases a quarter newsletters that highlight certain changes or trends in the automotive industry. This quarter’s newsletter was just released and has a few interesting technologies that we all need to look out for.
Start-stop systems, auxiliary batteries, and ultra-capacitors oh my! The folks at Moditech (makers of Crash Recovery System) take use through some very useful information.
Ultra-capacitors, shown in the red box above located behind the fender are able to store a hundred times more energy than a conventional capacitor and at least ten times more than a 12 volt battery with a high service life of a million charge cycles. Read the complete newsletter to learn why what is inside the ultra-capacitors that rescuers should keep in mind.
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. delivered one of its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) for fleet uses. This is a pilot version of the PHEV and is based on a Ford F-150.
Different acronyms are used to describe plug hybrid vehicles. For example, a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV), or plug-in hybrid. Just remember how a hybrid vehicle utilizes rechargeable batteries, or another energy storage device, that can be restored to full charge by connecting a plug to an external electric power source (usually a normal electric wall socket).
Remember to use your Moditech Crash Recovery System (CRS) to check for advanced steels and airbag inflator locations. As of right now, no Emergency Response Guide is available for the Quantum f-150 PHEV.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Volvo is not the only auto maker with pedestrian airbags, the 2014 BMW X5 will have one!
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.
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?
Here is a quick look at the driver side airbag in the Dodge Ram Truck model year 2008-2012.
First look at the 2013 Toyota Yaris Hybrid.
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.
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