On June 14, 2010, NHTSA published a final rule in the Federal Register at 75 FR 33515 amending FMVSS 305, Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection, so as to align the standard more closely with the April 2005 version of SAE J1766, Recommended Practice for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Battery Systems Crash Integrity Testing. As amended, the rule is intended to provide manufacturers greater flexibility, requiring them to design their electrically-powered vehicles so that, in the event of a crash, the electrical energy storage, conversion, and traction systems are either electrically isolated from the vehicle’s chassis or their voltage is below specified levels considered safe from electric shock hazards.
Compliance with revised version of FMVSS 305 will be required starting September 1, 2011.
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