The Accessor Spring 2025 Web - Flipbook - Page 19
Motor Skills Training courses are delivered at the bespoke vehicle workshop.
But batteries have taken longer to
come good, they are at a very usable
stage now but they will continue to
improve at pace.
Remember that the problems we
have today will not be the problems
in ten years, just as the issues we had
a decade ago have faded. The 昀椀rst
Nissan Leaf had an 80 mile range, now
some EVs have ten times that and
many are doing 250 miles on a charge.
Battery safety is seen as a big issue,
to get high energy batteries the use
of lithium NMC (nickel, manganese,
cobalt) became widespread, although
other very different technologies are
now becoming more popular. If they
are over charged or excessive current
is drawn from them they heat up, and
if that happens for long enough they
can catch 昀椀re, but cars have extensive
battery management systems that
monitor current and temperature, they
reduce current draw if it starts getting
Since RHEL was founded in 1997 projects have included race cars, custom cars,
expedition vehicles and a world land speed record-setting lawnmower.
warm and can shut down the system
completely if it gets to risky. Sadly
many cheap consumer goods such
as e-scooters and vapes don’t have
such a system and allow excessive
currents and temperatures, leading
to tragic 昀椀res, and legislation is being
looked at to force that sector to use
battery management like we do in the
automotive sector.
But it’s not just in use risks we have
to consider, if a cell is crushed or
pierced in an accident then that can
cause a short circuit, bypassing any
safety system and leading to 昀椀res.
The temperature can build slowly in
some cases leading to delayed thermal
events, and a damaged vehicle may
have loose sharp edges that can
damage a cell when the vehicle is
moved at a later date. So how do we
assess this risk?
Well, to start off with you need to
understand what you are dealing with,
a basic technical grasp of the bits
and bobs in the car. Then you need
to understand the type of energy
storage used in that particular vehicle,
some type of cell are safe even if you
crush them, others are a bit sparky, so
knowledge is power.
I was talking to Mark Wells (IAEA
Council Member for Education and
Membership) about this issue at a
car show and we hatched a plan
to educate and inform, and I have
developed an IAEA speci昀椀c training
package which includes an IMI EV
quali昀椀cation and hands on experience
with compromised EV systems (more
about this on page 25).
As ever every problem has a solution,
and whilst EV technologies and risks
are very different from combustion
vehicles it’s not rocket science, but
having a clear understanding is
absolutely vital.
JOURNAL
Ralph is a highly experienced automotive engineer who has
a passion for great design and helping people understand
technology. Ralph is also known for his appearances on various
automotive-related television shows (Supercar Megabuild, Scrapyard
Supercar, Mission Ignition). He has decades of expertise in advanced
vehicle engineering and modi昀椀cations for OEMs such as Ford and
Bentley. Ralph’s company RHEL has been designing and building
custom and modi昀椀ed vehicles since 1997. He is passionate about
practical skills and set up a skills training company Motor Skills
Training to help everyone from beginners to professionals, and he
has shared his knowledge and experiences with audiences through
television programs, publications and guest lectures.
Ralph is a chartered engineer, a member of the Institute of the
Motor Industry (IMI), a member of the Institute of Engineering and
Technology (IET) and a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers.
He is hosting a series of CPD events for the IAEA – details to follow
(check https://www.iaea-online.org/events for info).
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2025 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
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