I-CAR (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) has announced the official release of an inter-industry-first, the Electric Vehicle (EV) Best Practice guide for a High-Voltage Disconnecting Procedure.
The comprehensive document is designed to complement OEM repair procedures, providing clear guidance for technicians in this extremely important area of EV repair, explained Jeff Peevy, I-CAR vice president of technical products, programs & services.
“As EV repairs are becoming more commonplace, with more than 100 makes and models either in production or in various stages of development, I-CAR used OEM repair procedures to create a complementary document that guides a consistent disconnecting procedure process, in hopes to eliminate any confusion in what can be a dangerous repair process,” he said.
“We’re bringing clarity and guidance to keep technicians safe and to minimize risks and errors," he said, “for any technician, working on any EV vehicle, at any shop or location in the industry."
According to Scott VanHulle, I-CAR manager of repairability technical support and OEM technical relations, the document “is not a stand-alone, but developed in conjunction with OEM repair procedures. It complements their instructions," he said.
VanHulle shared the tremendous collaboration involved in the document’s creation.
“I-CAR and subject matter experts — from vehicle makers, collision repairers, insurers, and tool and equipment manufacturers — held an EV Technical Repair Summit in May to develop, update, and publish the I-CAR Best Practice for a High-Voltage Disconnecting Procedure.”
Added Dirk Fuchs, I-CAR, Director, Technical Programs & Services: “This disconnecting procedure document is available to everyone in the industry. This document, however, does not replace OEM repair procedures in any way but supports them. We want to keep collision repair staff safe and minimize risks and mistakes.”
The Best Practice document also includes an HV Safety Protocol form used to document inspections and tests, and HV Disconnecting Procedure status cards, ready for immediate implementation/use:
- I-CAR Best Practice - HV Safety Protocol is a form that is used to document the inspections and tests.
- I-CAR Best Practice - HV Disconnecting Procedure Status Cards which are printable and used to identify the current status of the HV vehicle.
“Technology continues to redefine the future of collision repair, and this is another way I-CAR is helping lead the industry forward with responsible, relevant and robust solutions that advance our vision and mission,” Peevy said.
