SSN SOW IDIQ_693J25RQ000074_ Draft.pdf

DRAFT

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT:

Motor Vehicle Fire Safety Research & Analysis

1. INTRODUCTION

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs of traffic accidents. The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering and enforcement programs to meet its mission.

In support of the Agency’s mission, The Office of Vehicle Safety Research conducts extensive research, development, testing, crash investigation, data collection and analysis activities to provide the scientific basis needed to support motor vehicle and traffic safety goals.

2. BACKGROUND

Vehicle fires are responsible for an estimated 643 fatalities, 1,532 injuries, and $2.8 billion in direct property damage annually1. They also place a significant burden on firefighting resources and hinder natural disaster response and recovery efforts2. Modern vehicles increasingly incorporate combustible plastics and Li-ion batteries, which add to the fire load and intensify the demands on emergency and recovery operations. Firefighters have expressed concern with EVs due to reignition hazards and the large water requirements3. Moreover, long-term exposure4 to fire-retardant chemicals and vehicle fire emissions has been associated with adverse human health effects5, prompting calls to reassess current vehicle fire safety standards6.

This Motor Vehicle Fire Safety Research & Analysis research contract is focused on decreasing vehicle fire risk and mitigating harmful effects. The findings of this proposed work will broaden the knowledge on vehicle fire risk including improved safety engineering standards, best practices for vehicle and component design, and emergency planning and response. The research described in the proposed work will address areas covered by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as contribute to standardized test methods. The effort will ultimately lead to a reduction in fatalities and injuries due to motor vehicle use, and economic loss from property damage and traffic disruption.

1 McGree, T. (2024, November). Vehicle Fires. National Fire Protection Research. https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/vehicle-fires 2 Miznazi, A (2024, October). After Hurricane Milton, a growing risk: Flooded electric cars going up in flames. Miami Herald. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article293730084.html 3 Barnes A, (2021 Aug. 17) Firefighters have to blast 40 times more water at burning Tesla than other cars. THE HILL. https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/568255-firefighters-have-to-blast-40-times-more-water-at/ 4 Hoehn R M, et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 20, 8825–8834 5 DeBono N L ,et al. Saf Health Work. 2023 Jun;14(2):141-152.

6 United States Congress, “Letter regarding FMVSS 302 Flame Retardants” Senator R. Blumenthal, Honorable H.M Griffith, Honorable D. Matsui (Aug , 2024)

3. CONTRACT OBJECTIVES

Research objectives include evaluations of motor vehicles and component fire scenarios and safety solutions by means of testing and modeling of motor vehicles and subsystems including battery and electrical systems, fuel storage systems, and other automotive materials. To address fire risks associated with vehicle use, the project’s tasks will cover multiple domains including experimental and modeling tasks to support safer vehicles and develop improved emergency response tactics and procedures.

4. SCOPE OF WORK

The scope of applicability includes all motor vehicle sizes: Light, Medium, and Heavy-Duty vehicles, encompassing motorcycles, passenger vehicles, and school buses. All propulsion choices, such as Internal Combustion Vehicles (ICE), Battery Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (xEVs) are included. xEVs utilizing battery systems comprised of Lithium-ion (Li-ion), Sodium Ion, Solid State, and novel energy storage cells, are also incorporated. It also encompasses emerging conventional and synthetic transportation fuels such as Hydrogen, Propane, and Biofuels, and the associated vehicle storage systems, such as compressed storage tanks.

4.1. Standard Tests

Perform standard tests to characterize for fire safety and hazard evaluation:

4.1.1. Battery Management Systems (BMS) Vehicle level test procedures done in accordance with FMVSS 305a for overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, external short-circuit tests and standard cycle test.

4.1.2. BMS tests done at the component level test procedures in accordance with the methods set out in Addendum 20: Global Technical Regulation No. 207

4.1.3. Over-temperature test procedure in accordance with FMVSS 305a

4.1.4. Vehicle Washing test done in accordance with FMVSS 305a

4.1.5. Standing water test done in accordance with FMVSS 305a

4.2. Experimental Tests

It is expected that this experimental testing may result in cell thermal runaway and fire.

These tests include vehicle crash, battery overcharge, thermal management failure and water and other fluid leaks. It will also involve post-crash survivability test standard development, such as material flammability.

4.2.1. Vehicle Crash Tests: Modifications of FMVSS 305a tests and relevant FMVSS crash tests - Frontal barrier, Rear moving barrier impact, Side moving deformable

7 https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29registry/ECE- TRANS-180a20e.pdf https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29registry/ECE-TRANS-180a20e.pdf https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29registry/ECE-TRANS-180a20e.pdf barrier, post-impact test static rollover, Moving contoured barrier. Modifications include higher velocities and impact points.

4.2.2. Penetration tests: These tests may be done at the cell, module, pack, and vehicle level where a rod from 3 mm (cell level) to 20 mm penetrates (module to vehicle level) with a velocity > 8 cm s-1. The rod penetrates through the cell or to a depth 100 mm. Relevant standards are SAE J2464 and ISO-6469-1:2019/DAM1:2021(E).

4.2.3. Crush / Crash Tests: These tests may be done at the cell, module, pack level based on SAE J2929 (100 kN to 200 kN crush force) or SAE J2464 (< 1000*Test weight)

4.2.4. Mechanical Shock: The shock test aims to characterize the safety when the system is exposed vehicle crash shock forces and can be done at the component or vehicle level, based on SAE J2464 or SAE J2929

4.2.5. Vibration Test: done in accordance with UL 2580

4.2.6. Rollover Test: Post crush or crash tests, the test article is tested in accordance to

FMVSS 305a or SAE J2929.

4.2.7. Immersion Tests: Tests done in salt water (< 5 wt% NaCl) with test article removal / observation period for characterization of hazards and responder tactics and techniques.

4.2.7.1. Exposure tests to other vehicle fluids including coolants as per FreedomCar:2005.

4.3. Experimental Testing for other Alt fuels

This testing involves evaluation of various types of compressed hydrogen storage systems and components for fire and hazard characterization and standards development.

4.3.1.1. Hydrogen Research in support of FMVSS 307 in support of Fuel system integrity of hydrogen vehicles during vehicle operations and post-crash.

4.3.1.2. Hydrogen Research in support of FMVSS 308 on various types of compressed hydrogen storage systems and components (e.g., Thermally activated Pressure Relief Devices) including fire test methods prescribed in ECE Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 13 for localized and engulfed bonfire testing.

4.4. Fire Risk Mitigation Research & Development Carry out experimentation and modeling for characterization and implementation of early detection devices for warning and prevention of system / component failures leading to fire. This will include R&D on battery failure objective tests and diagnostics to avoid / warn of thermal runaway.

4.4.1. Develop objective test procedures for early warning systems areas that are not design restrictive and applicable to all relevant vehicle powertrain architectures.

This includes abuse test methods to assess vehicle / system controls to mitigate component failure such as battery abuse methods including overcharge and external short circuit.

4.4.2. Battery early warning sensors to provide indication on impending battery failure.

Battery diagnostics for early detection and intervention. This research area evaluates and develops sensors to detect the onset of a thermal event. For battery systems it includes sensors to indicate onset of thermal propagation for various cell designs and chemistries. Diagnostic devices range from flammable gas sensors, pressure sensors, impedance sensors, and others. Tasks involve characterizing sensors and development of best practices to implement sensors.

4.4.3. Safety control Intervention methods: Such as cooling, and battery energy discharging will also be investigated to prevent thermal propagation.

4.4.4. Vehicle sub systems: Battery management system and sensor algorithms to improve vehicle functional safety systems that can detect and prevent fire propagation and toxic gas generation. Safety aspects of high voltage components including inverters and motors, and vehicle fluids such as coolants and refrigerants.

4.5. Fire Characterization Tests

This testing includes evaluation of vehicle structures and techniques to mitigate fire propagation to passenger compartment, battery pack design features to interrupt thermal runaway propagation due to vehicle / battery abuse events. The characterization also incorporates experimental collection and analysis of vehicle fire emissions for human health (e.g., carcinogenic) risks and evaluation of responder Personal Protective Equipment.

4.5.1. Material flammability test: The procedure supports post-crash survivability test standard development. Investigate the objectivity and reproducibility of various vehicle and component tests for fire retardancy and avoidance of thermal propagation. This includes tests to characterize flame-retardant properties of automotive materials by thermal analysis, such as combustion calorimeter tests and species toxicity. This includes combustion calorimetry (e.g., ASTM D7309) and Limiting Oxygen Index (e.g., ASTM D 2863) tests, to characterize fire propagation and its impact on survivability post-crash.

4.5.2. Vehicle fire tests: This research involves the characterization of vehicle, components including xEV battery packs and fluids, for fire mitigation methodology. Vehicle components such as interior materials, under the hood parts and battery packs will be characterized to understand their contribution to fire propagation. Characterization measurements of peak heat release rates and total heat release rates are of interest.

4.5.3. Smoke Toxicity & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): This task includes measurements of particulate matter and emissions from vehicle fires and its impact on first responders PPE. Specific tasks include vehicle fire characterization at a test facility that enables emissions measurement via particulate matter measurement and gas analysis (e.g., Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectrometer, Non-Dispersive InfraRed analyzer, and Paramagnetic Oxygen analyzer, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry).

4.5.4. Fire propagation. Research into propagation of fire and abatement materials including under the hood fire retardancy / suppression for ICE vehicles, motorcoaches e.g school bus firewall openings, use of intumescent materials.

4.6. Vehicle Fire Modeling The modeling and simulation of a vehicle crash or other abuse event, and subsequent fire. The application of computer aided engineering (CAE) tools based on multi-physics model to build a representative model of a vehicle, including relevant components e.g., battery pack. It also includes implementing CAE tools to characterize vehicle fire safety systems / features. This research will support developing best practices for vehicle fire simulation and validation for safety for crash / fire scenarios.

4.6.1. Identify and obtain presentative vehicle / component data for CAE purposes.

4.6.2. Develop / Identify and implement coupled thermally, electrically, and mechanically CAE tools to investigate thermal propagation for different operation and crash modes based on representative vehicle / component data.

4.6.3. Utilize models to simulate mechanical deformation of the vehicles and subsequent thermal propagation with different materials and battery pack designs.

4.7. Emergency Response R&D Improve and update first / second responder procedures and techniques responding to vehicle fires. This includes evaluation of Emergency Response Guides (ERG) and characterization of xEV fire incidents and subsequent xEV transport and storage. This also includes safe handling strategies for stranded energy in disabled xEVs.

4.7.1. xEV Crash Protocols / Stranded energy: Characterization of procedures for the safe discharge of xEVs battery packs (inside & outside of the vehicle) including those that are damaged. Develop best practice for monitoring the battery health during the discharge process. Identify critical factors and their safe-limit thresholds for parameters such as battery temperature, state of charge, and gas emissions. Under this contract, procedures to evaluate xEV battery safety after a crash. This includes techniques to monitor battery safety status that can provide relevant information to first and second responders.

4.7.2. Guidance for Natural Disaster Preparedness- flooding: Develop best practices and response guidelines for vehicle owners and other stake holders to avoid battery fires resulting from flooding. It also includes an investigation of failure modes in battery modules and cells due to saltwater immersion. The aim is to gain a broader understanding of failure root causes, improved pack design and test methods. Findings will provide information for emergency and recovery preparedness and response.

4.7.3. Emergency Response Guides (ERGs): This task involves developing data / tools to provide emergency responders with improved guidance for tactics and methods in responding to an xEVs emergency event. The task includes related testing, OEM input and user feedback. The goal is improved access and comprehension of emergency response-critical information including hazard identification, high-voltage danger, and other safety-critical information.

4.8. Failure Root Cause Analysis This research involves the study of field data including vehicle and component failures, including battery system, during operation to characterize causes.

4.8.1. This includes vehicle procurement and transport/ storage.

4.8.2. Damaged and suspected damaged vehicle tear down and forensic analysis to identify failure modes leading to safety risks including battery thermal runaway and propagation. It also includes tear down of unique cases such as saltwater immersion events from natural disasters.

4.8.3. Real-world data analysis. Database queries and statistical analysis of fire risks from various sources including NHTSA and USFA