I-CAR® ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF “INDUSTRY FIRST” BEST PRACTICE FOR HIGH-VOLTAGE DISCONNECTING PROCEDURE
September 08, 2021
Developed with Inter-Industry SME’s, First-Ever EV Best Practice Document Guides Consistency, Safety of Complex Repair Process
HOFFMAN ESTATES (Sept. 8, 2021) – I-CAR® (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) today 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, 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,” Peevy said.
According to Scott VanHulle, I-CAR Manager, 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,” he said. “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.
About I-CAR: Founded in 1979, I-CAR is a not-for-profit education, knowledge and solutions organization designed to support the evolving needs of the Collision Repair Inter-Industry. I-CAR is focused on improving the quality and safety of auto collision repair for the ultimate benefit of both the industry and the consumer. www.i-car.com