Keeping in mind that hybrid vehicles have 4 tires and a steering wheel just like all the other vehicles on the road today, the major difference is its propulsion system. Take a conventional vehicle, add a traction motor and high voltage battery, and you basically have a hybrid. This is over simplified to be sure, but makes the point that extrication procedures will differ little between hybrid and conventional vehicles in most cases. Consider the diagram below. Note the position of the high voltage battery, orange high voltage wires and inverter/traction motor. Can you remove the roof of this vehicle for patient access without encountering the high voltage system?
December 6, 2010
This explanation of how electricity works may seem comical, but it highlights the mystery surrounding electricity as something we cannot see. The results of electricity at work are obvious to us; the lights turn on, the motor turns and the stereo plays music. In contrast, the flow of electricity through wiring becomes somehow mysterious or even frightening when high voltages are considered.
September 2, 2010
Have you ever thought about how you would handle yourself or your crew when dealing with a hybrid vehicle that was involved in an incident? Maybe you have taken a class. Did you get enough information from that class to make you comfortable dealing with any scenario? Did you walk away having questions unanswered? Even worse, did you walk away with more fear than before the class? Maybe you have never even thought about it.
March 18, 2010