USA: FMVSS No. 305a Electric-Powered Vehicles

 

The US NHTSA has published a proposed rulemaking about a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS No. 305a Electric-Powered Vehicles.

NHTSA has issued it to achieve two goals. First, NHTSA proposes to establish FMVSS No. 305a, ‘‘Electric-powered Vehicles: Electric Powertrain Integrity,’’ to upgrade and replace existing FMVSS No. 305. Proposed FMVSS No. 305a would have all the requirements of FMVSS No. 305, but the proposed standard would expand its applicability to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 4,536 kilograms (kg) (10,000 pounds (lb)) and add requirements and test procedures covering new aspects of electric vehicle safety, such as the performance and risk mitigation requirements for the propulsion battery, referred to as the Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage System (REESS).

NHTSA is also proposing requirements to ensure first and second responders have access to vehicle-specific information about extinguishing REESS fires and mitigating safety risks associated with stranded energy when responding to emergencies. The restructured and upgraded FMVSS No. 305a will facilitate future updates to the standard as battery technologies and charging systems continue to evolve. After FMVSS No. 305a is finalized, NHTSA intends to sunset FMVSS No. 305.

The second goal is to further NHTSA’s effort to harmonize the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards under the Economic Commission for Europe 1998 Global Agreement (‘‘1998 Agreement’’). The efforts of the U.S. and other contracting parties to the 1998 Agreement culminated in the establishment of Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 20, ‘‘Electric Vehicle Safety.’’2 FMVSS No. 305 already incorporates a substantial portion of GTR No. 20’s requirements due to a previous NHTSA rulemaking.

 In 2017, NHTSA amended FMVSS No. 305 to include electrical safety requirements from GTR No. 13, ‘‘Hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles,’’ pertaining to electric vehicle performance during normal vehicle operation and post-crash. Because GTR No. 13’s provisions for electric vehicles were later incorporated into what would become GTR No. 20, the 2017 final rule that adopted GTR No. 13’s provisions adopted what later became many of the requirements of GTR No. 20. That 2017 rulemaking, however, did not expand the applicability of FMVSS No. 305 to include heavy vehicles nor did it include requirements for the REESS. This NPRM proposes these and other GTR No. 20 requirements.

To find out more about automotive regulations in USA, please contact the Institute for Global Automotive Regulatory Research directly.