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Vehicle Revolution News Reports & Industry Views on the Future of Cars • By Andy Latham


Smart Vehicles Require Smarter Auto Recyclers “T


oyota to ramp up EV activity” and “New insurance law for self-driv- ing cars” are just two of the headlines in recent news in my favorite car maga- zines – and both have im- plications for the vehicle recycling industry. We all see that vehicles are getting more complex, with high voltage electron- ics, advanced technology systems to drive the vehi- cles, and material tech- nology reducing vehicle weights while improving the crash protection for vehicle occupants and pe- destrians.


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Electric and hybrid vehicles are seeing rapid significant change in technology and growth in sales driven partly by the demonization of diesel and the threat of legislation banning the sale of new pet- rol and diesel vehicles in the future. Cur- rent Electric and hybrid vehicles have DC batteries with somewhere between 100 and 400 volts. This is converted to around 750-800 volts, three-phase AC to drive the electric motor – high enough to be fatal if handled incorrectly. A re- cent prototype electric vehicle has bat- teries running at 800 volts DC. This doubling of the voltage means that the battery does not generate as much heat to drive the motor so a simpler cooling system can be used in the vehicle. Of the current hybrid and electric vehi- cles on the market, many are known and recognizable as electric or hybrid vehi- cles. We think of the Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius and Tesla models and immediately know how these vehicles are powered. But there are many other vehicles that


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are designed to have a variety of power sources, such as the Volkswagen Golf, which is available (in Europe) as Diesel, Petrol, LPG, Hybrid or Full Electric, and in future could also be available with a hydrogen fuel cell. Therefore, if you got a request to collect a Golf, you need to know what fuel source the vehicle has, and the type of damage the vehicle has sustained so you can prepare your driver in advance. For example, a full electric Golf that has been involved in a flood or fire may be a completely different situa- tion than a petrol Golf that has suffered a rear end impact. While the Golf is an example, these types of vehicle will be come more common.


There are plenty of resources avail- able to help. ARA offers for purchase two excellent guides to hybrid vehicles and batteries. The IDIS system with manufacturer disconnection processes for High Voltage systems is available to all certified recyclers worldwide. Train- ing courses are readily available from a variety of suppliers and training pro-


grams, including the ARA University. Also, there are many companies selling Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the handling of high voltage systems that can also help you train employees. As vehicle propulsion changes it would be remiss not to mention hydro- gen-fueled vehicles. Basically these are electric vehicles with hydrogen tanks and a fuel cell to mix hydrogen with air and produce electricity to drive the ve- hicle. I believe that we are on the cusp of the change from internal combustion engines to hydrogen fuel cells. As the sale of new petrol and diesel powered vehicles moves towards a legis- lated end, the fuel companies will find other energy sources that they can sell, and hydrogen will be one of those com- modities. The ultimate solution will be to have small hydrogen plants that back onto a refueling station; this eliminates the transportation issues associated with fuel supply, and creates a very green, sus- tainable solution to the current range and recharging issues associated with


July-August 2018 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING


www.afdc.energy.gov


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