Standards
There are standards, regulations and guidelines for vehicle design and manufacture from a variety of government and industry sources. Sources include the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, Underwriters Laboratories, American Society for Testing and Materials, American National Standards Institute, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. Standards are also promulgated in other countries.
Authors' Note: Since this site was developed in 2009, some standards and guidelines have changed or been updated. The authors have updated materials used for in-person trainings, but not yet developed them for this site. .
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS): Manufacturers are required to meet FMVSS for all vehicles sold in the United States.
FMVSS 301 Fuel System Integrity (2003)
- Gasoline/Diesel system integrity in collision
- Purpose:
- “…reduce deaths and injuries occurring from fires that result from fuel spillage during and after motor vehicle crashes…”
- Specifications:
- 30 mph frontal to fixed barrier
- 30 mph rear, moving barrier (~4,000 lb)
- 20 mph side, moving barrier (~4,000 lb)
- Maximum leakage specified during rotation
- Update being phased in (40% of production by 9/2006):
- Requirements: No significant spillage of fuel during the crash, after the vehicle comes to rest or while the vehicle is rolled 360 degrees in a spit.
FMVSS 302: Regulation of Material Flammability (2005)
- Purpose: “…reduce deaths and injuries to motor vehicle occupants caused by vehicle fires, especially those originating in the interior of the vehicle from sources such as matches or cigarettes.”
- Application: Components used in the interior of vehicles must comply with the rated burn resistance.
- Test methodology: Horizontally mounted samples are exposed to flame for 15 seconds.
- Requirement: Less than 4 inch propagation per minute.
- There have been upgrades proposed, including the extension of the standard to underhood materials.
FMVSS 303 Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles (2003)
- Regulates fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles.
- For passenger cars and trucks of 10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight (GVW) or less (and all school buses).
- Specifications:
- 30 mph frontal crash test into a fixed barrier
- 30 mph rear impact by a moving barrier
- 20 mph side impact by a moving barrier
- Requirments:
- Pressure drop in the high pressure system shall not exceed 154 psi within 1 hour after the crash.
FMVSS 304 Compressed Natural Gas Fuel Container Integrity (2005)
- Regulates compressed natural gas fuel container integrity and fire safety.
- Applicable to compressed natural gas fuel containers used in motor vehicles.
- Specifications:
- Pressure relief device installed.
- Labeling specified, including service pressure, requirements for inspections every 36 months, 36,000 miles, and after accidents and fires, and an end date for service life.
- Requirements:
- Hydrostatic burst pressure shall not be less than 2.25 times the working pressure for non-welded containers (Type 1).
- Hydrostatic burst pressure shall not be less than 3.5 times the working pressure for welded containers (Type 1).
- Type 2, 3 and 4 containers shall not leak when subjected to 2.25 times the service pressure.
- Containers shall not leak when pressure cycled 5,000 times.
- During a bonfire test, containers shall completely vent their contents through a pressure relief device or shall not burst while retaining their entire contents.
FMVSS 305: Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electric Shock Protection (2005)
- Regulates electrolyte leakage and electrical isolation in crashes of electric-powered vehicles
- Applicable to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 10,000 lb or less, that use more than 48 nominal volts of electricity as propulsion power and whose speed attainable in 1 mile on a paved level surface is more than 25 mph
- Specifications:
- Frontal impact test procedures of FMVSS No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection"; 30 mph frontal crash into fixed barrier; increase to 35 mph in 2007.
- Side impact test procedures of FMVSS No. 214, "Side Impact Protection"; side impact with moveable barrier at 33 mph
- Rear impact test procedures of FMVSS No. 301, "Fuel System Integrity" (30 mph fixed barrier or optionally to comply with upgrade of moving barrier test)
Requirement: Electrical isolation between the chassis and the high-voltage system must be maintained at a level of at least 500 ohms per volt.
- Based on SAE J1766, “Recommended Practice for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery Systems Crash Integrity Testing"
NHTSA list of FMVSS
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/
Search code of federal regulations for copies of FMVSS standards:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-regulations/fmvss
Enter FMVSS number.
Underwriters Laboratories, UL 94, Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances. Underwriters Laboratory ratings are voluntary classifications applied to materials that designers then select for usage in their vehicles.
UL 94 Horizontal Burning (HB) Test
A flame is applied to a polymer sample for each of the UL 94 tests; specimens are then observed for the extent and rate of fire propagation.
For a UL 94 HB classification a material must:
- Not have a burning rate exceeding 40 mm per minute over a 75 mm span for specimens having a thickness less than 3.0-1.3 mm, or
- Not have a burning rate exceeding 75 mm per minute over a 75 mm span for specimens having a thickness less than 3.0 mm, or
- Cease to burn before the 100 mm reference mark.
UL 94 Vertical (V) Flame Test
The standard includes classifications V-0 (the most stringent), V-1 and V-2. Each has criteria for the maximum burn time and all require no “afterflame or afterglow of any (vertical) specimen up to the holding clamp.”
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- Numerous design specifications and recommended practices
- Fluid characteristics
- Electrical system fusing, wire sizing and insulation
- Narrowly focused
- Many current working groups for emerging technologies in alternative vehicle designs (hybrid, CNG, hydrogen fuel cell, and electrical vehicles) Some current examples:
- SAE J2344 Guidelines for electric vehicle safety
- SAE J1766 Recommended practice for electric and hybrid electric vehicle battery systems crash integrity testing
- SAE J1718 Measurement of hydrogen gas emission from battery-powered passenger cars and light trucks during battery charging
- SAE J2578 Recommended practice for general fuel cell vehicle safety
- SAE J1739 Potential failure mode and effects analysis in design (design FMEA), potential failure mode and effects analysis in manufacturing and assembly processes (process FMEA), and potential failure mode and effects analysis for machinery (machinery FMEA)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
ANSI is also involved in setting standards for alternative vehicle technology in particular. Examples of ANSI standards:
- ANSI/IAS NGV2-1998 Basic requirements for compressed natural gas vehicle (NGV) fuel containers
- ANSI/IAS NGV 4.1-1999 NGV dispensing systems
- ANSI/IAS NGV 4.2-1999 Hoses for natural gas vehicles dispensing systems
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
IEC is an international standards organization. Relevant standards related to alternative vehicle design are
- CEI/IEC 61508-1 Functional safety of electrical/electronic programmable electronic safety-related systems – Part 1: General requirements
- CEI/IEC 61508-3 Functional safety of electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems – Part 3: software requirements
