SCIENCE FOUNDATION ARIZONA

The objective of the Zero-Emission Vehicle Collision Management System (ZEV-CMS) Mission is the development and of a system that will provide training, guidance, and tools for first and second responders to use when responding to a collision involving a ZEV (electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV)). As ZEVs become more common on public roads, it is imperative that these responders understand the unique risks and challenges posed by these vehicles. The Mission has three (3) deliverables:

1. Training program (including hands-on components) and ZEV collision management procedures.
2. Database that includes high-voltage (HV) system schematics, ingress cut locations, procedures for ESS discharge for each EV in the database, and H₂ tank locations and discharge instructions for each FCV in the database.
3. Mobile app that can be accessed, for example, by first and second responders en route to the collision scene.

These deliverables can provided to responder organizations as a public service or a company could be created to market the deliverables to a variety of customers, including the responder organizations, the ZEV Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), and local/state/federal government agencies. The ZEV-CMS will help reduce injuries and fatalities due to ZEV collisions and help ensure that the ZEV revolution continues apace.

The objective and deliverable for the various Mission tasks are described below.

1. Stakeholder engagement: A list of stakeholders will be created, and regular meetings will be held with said stakeholders. This engagement will ensure that the ZEV-CMS is a user-inspired system that will be useful for the implementers.
2. Conduct literature and standards review/benchmark/gap analysis: A literature and standards review will be conducted to understand what information is already available and what standards have already been established. The deliverable will be a report on the review findings.
3. Develop ZEV collision management procedures: Using the input from Tasks 1 and 2, the procedures that first and second responders can use when addressing a collision involving a ZEV will be developed. The deliverable will be a set of procedures with explicit instructions and organized by the various collision management functions.
4. Develop training program: Training programs for first and second responders will be developed using the procedures of Task 3. The deliverables will the programs themselves as well as pilot training sessions with one first responder group and one second responder group.
5. Develop ZEV database: As each ZEV model will have a different design, a database of commercialized ZEV models will be developed that will include schematics (including HV lines), instructions of where to cut/where not to cut for passenger extraction, and battery disconnection location. Each model entry will also include any deviations from the procedures and training programs of Tasks 3 and 4. The deliverable will be the database that includes a user interface.
6. Develop remote ZEV make/model identification system: Using the make and model identification system developed by ASU (as part of the IAM AvaCar project), and the traffic camera monitoring system developed by UArizona (as part of the IAM Statewide Network project), develop a method for identifying the make and model of a ZEV involved in a collision in the vicinity of a traffic camera. The deliverable will be a computer code that accesses the traffic cameras and is mated with the mobile application of Task 7.
7. Develop mobile application: Incorporating the ZEV database of Task 5 and the remote make/model identification system of Task 6 into a mobile application that a ZEV-CMS implementer can use to plan strategies, tactics, and procedures for addressing a collision involving a ZEV while en route to the collision scene. The deliverable will be working mobile applications that can be used on both iOS and Android platforms.
8. Dissemination: The results of this Mission must be disseminated to the first and second responder communities to gain acceptance but also to encourage adoption of the procedures, training programs, and the mobile application. The deliverable will be articles, conference presentations, and meetings with members of the first and second responder communities and a report on adoption of the ZEV-CMS system.