Probability of a Crash During Plug-in Charging 2011-01-1008

Plug-in electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular as the U.S. and other nations look for ways to reduce the usage of petroleum fuels and reduce the carbon emission footprint. Though plug-in electric vehicles offer many advantages over conventional vehicles, they also present some unique potential hazards due to the presence of high voltage in the vehicle. Specifically, potential high voltage hazards can occur if the electric vehicle is crashed by another vehicle during its plug-in charging session. High voltage hazards include the possibility of electrical shock and thermal events as a result of electrical arcing that can cause injury or death to persons that operate or work around plug-in electric vehicles. Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ISO 26262), often abbreviated as ASIL, is used by the automotive industry for determining the ranking of safety hazards. The likelihood of exposure to a particular safety hazard that leads to a mishap is one of the factors used for ASIL rankings. Thus, it is necessary to understand the likelihood of a crash during a plug-in charging session in order to evaluate the ASIL ranking for hazards due to this particular scenario. This paper will analyze crash statistics in the United States and other factors to determine the likelihood of high voltage exposure due to a crash during a plug-in charging session.